The chief executive of the Kenyan unit of London-based luxury car dealer Inchcape Plc, Sanjiv Shah, has left office just seven months after he was picked to head the firm’s operations.
Inchcape, the local dealer of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), said on Wednesday Mr Shah had quit the business after successfully guiding its transition.
“We confirm that Sanjiv Shah has left Inchcape,” Inchcape Kenya marketing manager Charity Mutunga said in an email response to the Business Daily queries.
The firm, however, did not directly respond to queries regarding the circumstances of his exit while also ruling out that his move was linked to an administrative decision.
“When Inchcape acquired the JLR business from RMA, Sanjiv agreed to stay on to support the transition,” Ms Mutunga said.
“Now that this phase of the operation has largely been concluded, Sanjiv has decided to pursue opportunities outside of the Inchcape group. We would like to thank Sanjiv for his contribution to the Inchcape business,” she added.
Luxury car market
The appointment of Mr Shah by Inchcape after the UK firm took over the JLR franchise had earlier been seen as a strategy to benefit from his contacts and knowledge of the local luxury car market.
RMA Motors, where Mr Shah was the former boss, exited the Kenyan market after five years, having taken over the JLR franchise from CMC Holdings in 2013.
Inchcape, which already sells JLR brands in the UK, inherited the most valuable and one of the fastest-selling portfolios of luxury cars in Kenya including Range Rover and Jaguar models.
The UK multinational sells several vehicle brands including Mercedes Benz, Toyota, Audi and BMW in 31 countries.
Kenya became Inchcape’s second market in Africa after Ethiopia where it currently deals in several brands including Toyota and Hino.