A new sales director has been appointed by Jaguar Land Rover UK. She is Rachael Thompson, who was previously national sales manager for Jaguar UK.

She will take responsibility for sales operations and planning in Jaguar Land Rover's largest global market ' the UK ' where sales are currently up 31% on year-on-year and are expected to reach 100,000 in 2016.

Rachael will be responsible for overseeing growth in the private and fleet sectors with models like the Jaguar XE and Range Rover Evoque.

Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover UK managing director, said: 'With Jaguar Land Rover UK now in the middle of its sixth year of consecutive record sales growth, major new products on the way and massive investment into the retailer network, our sales operations are absolutely crucial.

'Rachael has consistently proven her ability to manage Jaguar UK's national sales operations, and we're now excited to have her ' and her two decades' experience ' working across both Jaguar and Land Rover brands in the largest global market, here in the UK'

Rachael's experience includes four years as national sales manager for Jaguar UK and a further 19 years in the automotive industry, including time at Audi, Volkswagen and Ford. She joins a growing band of female senior executives at Jaguar Land Rover, with 20 being named in Autocar's Top 100 Great British Women in the Car Industry earlier this year.

She said: 'I'm delighted to be part of Jaguar Land Rover's journey and working with the talented team we have here. We have lots of exciting new vehicles coming and a committed network of retailers. All the ingredients are in place to carry on the success we've been enjoying in recent years'