Automotive Insight Group, the Manchester-based data and technology company specialising in the automotive industry through its platforms Automotive Insights and Factor Sales, has appointed former AutoTrader group sales director Darren Moon and former Factor sales director Ian Penny to its expanding team.
Moon, a seasoned industry leader who spent more than 18 years at AutoTrader as group sales director, joins the business as strategic partnership director. Penny, the former sales director of Factor Sales and a member of the company’s advisory board, joins as strategic product advisor, working with the team to support the evolution and innovation of the Factor Sales product.
Automotive Insight’s executive director and Insights Family founder Nick Richardson said: “It’s an honour and a privilege to welcome Darren and Ian to the team. Their knowledge and experience will significantly support our continued evolution as we establish ourselves as a critical business partner, providing independent, reliable and high performance realtime data and insights to companies across the UK automotive industry.”
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New hire Moon added: “I’m delighted to join Automotive Insight Group and be back in this great industry. We are witnessing greater change in the UK automotive sector than ever before. What Automotive Insight Group is building will help all retailers and partners navigate these changes by providing independent insight and data from carbuying consumers.”
Penny said: “Having seen the work that Automotive Insight Group has done in creating a significant database and portal over the last 18 months, I was delighted to be given the opportunity to work with the team as they move into the next phase of development. Adding the Factor Sales transactional data into the mix will enhance their offering to a wider marketplace and bring remarkable insights to everyone connected to the automotive industry.”
Automotive Insights was launched in January 2025 and claims to be the UK’s only “justintime” consumer intelligence platform, enabling clients to access intelligence across reporting, dashboards and innovative data science tools. It is based in Manchester and works closely with Manchester Metropolitan University and University of Greater Manchester academics and PhD students to develop its suite of tools and solutions.
Nigel Morris, group commercial director, said: “Darren and Ian joining the team is a clear statement of our intentions, and anyone in the automotive industry needs to have at least seen what we have built and how we can unlock opportunities and mitigate the risks they face.”
