Monthly Archives: March 2021

TLA, the tech platform connecting new car buyers with major car brands, has today announced the appointment of Robin Sutherland as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).

The company, which works with leading automotive manufacturers including BMW Group, Ford Motor Company, and Volkswagen Group, enables its clients to sell more cars by simplifying the car buying process for consumers, and said that Sutherland’s appointment will help drive forward both its business and consumer propositions.

Robin Sutherland

He will be responsible for developing TLA’s consumer strategy and creating a data and insight-led approach to customer acquisition and engagement.

TLA said he will also lead on building out the firm’s marketing function, owning the end-to-end customer experience, and developing TLA’s network of publisher partnerships.

Highly experienced in consumer marketing, Sutherland has held a variety of senior leadership roles over the last 20 years across travel, new media and ecommerce businesses including Expedia, British Airways, TravelSupermarket, ebookers and Gelato.

As Marketing Director and then Managing Director of ebookers between 2015 and 2019, he managed the platform and marketing transition after the Expedia acquisition, and delivered a step-change in ebookers profitability through a focus on loyalty and brand engagement.

Commenting on his appointment, Sutherland said: “I’m delighted to join TLA at a pivotal moment for both the business and the automotive sector more generally.

“The growth of electric vehicles combined with the growing use of online channels for car research and booking has changed consumer behaviour immeasurably.

“We now have the opportunity via the rise of digital to really support consumers through this evolution, and part my role at TLA will be to ensure that we make the car buying process as simple and intuitive as possible.”

Anton Hanley, CEO, TLA said: “These are exciting times for TLA and we are confident that Robin’s appointment will fast track the development of our consumer proposition and customer acquisition across our owned and publisher sites.”

“TLA has made great strides over what has been a difficult last year – TLA now works directly with over 80% of UK automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers – and bringing Robin’s expertise into the fold will help to drive further gains for TLA going forward.”

International Women’s Day is a celebration of all of the achievements of women across the world. At TLA we are incredibly fortunate to have many successful women who work tirelessly to ensure we deliver our mission and vision. This week we’re highlighting some of the brilliant women at TLA.

Today we’re joined by our student development team – Merve, Sara and Nicoleta!

Merve Ferad, Sara Elkehya and Nicoleta Oprescu

On the 1st September 2020 after a recruitment process for our annual student development programme, Merve Ferad, Sara Elkehya and Nicoleta Oprescu  joined TLA as Student Developers, working on Internal Systems, Platform X and with our Engagement team. 

Here is what they had to say about their time so far at TLA, why they chose a career in development and women in tech. 

Since joining TLA as placement students we have been able to explore different areas within development. We started our journey working together on a shared project before moving onto our respective teams. We contribute to our teams by taking on tasks to help to improve existing systems, or by taking the first steps to create and envision new ones.

We chose this career path because we had all developed a love for working with technology and having the ability to create something from scratch. The role is highly rewarding as it allows us to have an impact on people directly and see the results of our work. You can work from anywhere in the world in various environments. Career-wise, being a developer also opens up a path that provides endless progression. In such a dynamic industry, there are so many avenues to explore and learn about.

It is important that we aim to bridge the gap between genders and careers, which is rather prominent in the tech industry. Technology is used in most aspects of our lives, and whilst women make up half of the consumers, we are not well represented in the creation process. More women taking up development would not only provide more perspectives, but also the increase pool of skills available and lead to greater innovation. 

This career path provides so many opportunities and it is such a great time to make your way into it. Do not be discouraged by stereotypes, people telling you not to pursue this role based solely on your gender or let the current gender ratios sway your decision – if you are interested in technology, it is worth pursuing this path.

To any young women reading this we would say to stay strong and always strive to be a better version of yourself. Do not be afraid to set big goals for yourself, you can take on and be successful in anything you put your mind to. Do not be restrained by things that make you unhappy, and raise your voice – your opinion matters!