Harris Group Ireland

Dynamic, modern and progressive are words not usually used to describe a 63-year-old business. And yet Harris Group, Ireland's largest privately owned commercial vehicle distributor and retailer, has repeatedly earned its name as an industry pioneer. Having reported significant sales growth in 2023, this month the company announced a comprehensive restructuring that will see the business transform. The strategic reorganisation, which includes appointing a new senior management team, will position the company for a new era of growth, expansion and innovation. Under the leadership of Chairperson and CEO Denise Harris, Harris Group is embarking on its most ambitious journey yet.

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Driving transformation

Harris Group evolves as it readies itself for significant growth

Harris Group: At a glance

With double-digit growth forecast yet again for 2024, the company has restructured its team and enrolled new expertise to help support and accelerate Harris Group's evolution and to futureproof the enterprise. Pino Harris's wife Denise Harris has continued on the path set by the company's founder since his death in 2017, maintaining his pioneering leadership and customer-centric ethos and taking the business to new heights. She will be joined by four new executive directors positioned to drive the business in the key areas of sales and distribution, after-sales, parts and assembly and training, alongside the finance and IT functions. For Harris, it’s the right time to reform the company for a new era. "I have built a team for the future because I want this business to continue for generations to come, while simultaneously continuing its pivotal role in helping Ireland to decarbonise transport," she says. "I know the leadership I'm putting in place now will have the ability to choose the right talent to come after them." Brian Patterson, who boasts two decades of motor industry experience, has joined the business as Group Managing Director (motor trade), developing and driving the group's strategy and ambitious growth targets with responsibility for the business P&L. Mark Barrett has been appointed to the role of Managing Director of Group Franchises, having worked in the automotive industry for almost 30 years, with extensive experience across fleet rental, leasing, commercial, HGV and LGV with some of the world’s leading brands. John Keogh joins the business as Managing Director of Retail Operations. With a motor industry career spanning almost three decades, he joins Harris Group from Longhaul Commercials in Offaly. Barry McGrane is Harris Group's newly appointed Chief Financial Officer. A vastly experienced finance professional, McGrane has more than 30 years of experience across Irish and international businesses, including United Drug, Grosvenor and Moy Park. Denise Harris also confirmed that Nigel Birkmyre has joined the Harris Group board as a non-executive director. Widely recognised as a trusted leader and advisor to the automotive industry and a friend of founder Pino, Nigel will provide counsel and support to the new team.

A defining era

Harris Group HQ The company's Naas Road base is Ireland's largest retail sales centre for the commercial vehicle sector

For Harris, change in every industry is inevitable, but how a business responds, adapts and capitalises on that change is what matters. "We have been involved with EVs since 2016," she says. "The demand is there, and we have increased our market share significantly. We are currently number two in the UK with our EVs and we are hoping for another 50-60 per cent growth in that segment this year. I'm extremely passionate about EVs and their potential, because of the overwhelming environmental benefits. “To turbocharge this growth, while helping our national journey to net zero, we need charging infrastructure and enhanced government support through the Alternatively Fuelled Heavy Duty Vehicle Purchase Grant Scheme in order to allow bus and coach operators to get on board with this essential transition," Harris adds. Plans have also been approved to expand its on-site training academy, which provides cutting-edge EV training for technicians within the group and across its extensive dealership network. The academy, launched in 2021, has quickly become a premier hub for knowledge exchange and a leading centre of excellence in EV technology education. "We train about 300 technicians in Ireland and the UK each year," says Brian Patterson. "And we will be training European dealers going forward." "I am personally committed to supporting the next generation of technicians, engineers and industry professionals and firmly believe in the importance and power of continuous education and training," Harris says. "Futureproofing the business is an ongoing process, and the training academy is a central component of our long-term investment strategy. It's something I'm very passionate about. It's vital that we leave this country a better and healthier place when we depart," she says.

Electric revolution

Futureproofing the business is an ongoing process, and the training academy is a central component of our long-term investment strategy. It's something I'm very passionate about. It's vital that we leave this country a better and healthier place when we depart

Under Denise Harris's stewardship, Harris Group introduced a robust company carbon policy in 2021, with the aim of reducing the company's emissions to zero by the year 2030. She was instrumental in creating the Harris Training Academy and is a staunch advocate of continuous education and learning. Her work has been recognised both in the UK and Ireland, and in 2023 she received a lifetime achievement award from the British and Irish Trading Alliance for her transformative leadership. She was also awarded a Motoring Media of Ireland Association Award for her outstanding contribution to the automotive industry. With a newly upgraded, state-of-the-art customer showroom planned for the Naas Road headquarters, and double-digit growth projected for the year ahead, the Chairperson and CEO remains focused and passionate about the company's newest era. "We have ambitious targets for double-digit growth across all of our brands in both Ireland and the UK and are growing our dealership network while also investing heavily in training," Harris says. "The redevelopment of our Dublin headquarters will result in a more open site, meaning fleet, commercial and private buyers can visit our new public showrooms at their leisure and meet with our commercial automotive experts." Amid industry-wide global challenges, from supply chain issues to changes in regulatory requirements, Harris remains as energised about her work as ever. "I love what I do," she says. "That's what keeps me motivated. Having people on board who are dedicated and committed to the company's mission is what makes it all possible."

Vision in motion

One of Harris Group's core values is customer service, a principle that the team says has been a critical factor in its longevity and success. "Take our EV sales, for example," says Patterson. "We qualify every single customer before putting them into an EV product, which we feel is really important. Across retail SME and fleet sales, we ensure every customer has the charging capacity and understanding of whether it's the right investment for them. It's not a one-size-fits-all service." "This business was built on after-sales service," Harris agrees. "Pino established that ethos, and we are endlessly committed to maintaining that level of service. Our values here have remained the same since our founding, and they are based on Pino's initials: P for passion, I for integrity, N for new thinking and O for openness. From our staff to our vendors to our customers, we are first and foremost a people-centric business." "As much as we are putting structure into the business with hierarchy," says Patterson, “we all just get on with the job and those values flow down from top to bottom."

Defining values

The company's pride is its team, many of whom boast decades of service at the business. What is their secret to securing and retaining talent? "It's about creating a vision and letting the people who work with you advance through the company, giving them opportunities to spread their wings," Patterson says. "Providing them with training, development and mentorship is so important." "We also are very open and share what's happening in all aspects of the company, and that really drives people on; they can see the progress we are making and that's a big motivation. We have put a structure into the business that will allow us to modernise and digitalise at the scale necessary to achieve our next set of goals. Our strategies are there for the future." As for the industry as a whole, Harris says there is always work to be done, and she's committed to helping move the dial at scale. "Since COVID, the coach and bus business has suffered, so I'm very committed to getting that industry back to where it needs to be. That means government support for charging infrastructure for EV vehicles which, if delivered, will decarbonise the sector and positively impact our environment. I think that's a critical piece of the puzzle" she says. With a restructured team, an ever-growing network and a swathe of new goals on the agenda, Harris and Patterson say they are energised and ready to roll up their sleeves. "What Pino achieved with Harris Group was amazing," Patterson says. "Now it's time to acknowledge what Denise has contributed. Her vision and tenacity have brought the businesses to another level." "We all work together in this company," Harris says. "It's a team, a family, and we can't wait to start this new chapter together."

A family ethos

The leading brands within the Harris Group are MAXUS, Isuzu and the bus and coach division. Harris Group has two headquarters: one on the Naas Road, Dublin and the other in Liverpool. 2023 was a bumper year for the company. The MAXUS range of light commercial vehicles grew by a significant 46 per cent, while sales of buses and coaches increased by 19 per cent. Harris Group parts business is rising by 30 per cent year-on-year. Further growth in the region of 60 per cent is anticipated for 2024, which will be complemented by the launch of more vehicles for both commercial and passenger car drivers.

Steady hands Harris Group senior management team: Brian Patterson, Barry McGrane, Mark Barrett, Denise Harris, John Keogh

Stalwart foundations