Public electric vehicle charging network Be.EV has appointed Joseph Seal-Driver as its chief commercial officer.

Joseph Seal-Driver, chief commercial officer at Be.EV

A former mobility entrepreneur at Jaguar Land Rover, Seal-Driver will support co-founders Asif Ghafoor and Adrian Fielden-Gray with work to expand the network within and beyond its current heartland in the North West.

The Manchester-based business took over the Be.EV network from Transport for Greater Manchester last year, with a brief to enhance and rapidly expand it – not only in Greater Manchester and the North but also other regions.

Its plans include the construction of 50 multi-million-pound EV charging superhubs over the next three to five years.

Before joining Be.EV, Seal-Driver spent more than a decade reimagining transport – from car and bike sharing to electric chauffeur services. He’s held a number of executive roles in this space, scaling up disruptive businesses that are backed by some of the biggest players in automotive.

In his role as entrepreneur in residence at Jaguar Land Rover, he founded electric chauffeur service Havn, which was later acquired by Daimler-backed Blacklane. He’s also a trustee of CoMoUK, the charity for shared transportation.

Commenting on his new position, Seal-Driver said: “Having run fleets of electric vehicles, I know how important reliable, safe and accessible charging is to EV adoption and how crucial this is to the decarbonisation of our transport system. The team I’ve joined is impressive and has a great pedigree. They work in long-term partnerships with organisations to develop charging locations that improve the local environment, rather than just installing kit and walking away. That approach really appeals to me. And as a new father, I want to work in a sustainable business and build something that I can be proud of in the face of the climate emergency.”

His appointment caps off a string of recent hires at Be.EV, including Phil McCoy as new finance director, Richard Bordon as construction manager, Alex Ross as project manager, as well as recent graduates Clara Grainger and William Roberts who joined in project co-ordinator roles.

Be.EV is actively recruiting for further roles. Details of vacancies are on the company’s LinkedIn page.