PEOPLES Group has promoted Nicola Gilda to one of the most senior executive roles within the family-run Ford car dealer.

Ms Gilda, who has served on the board for 10 years, has been appointed strategy and operations director of the business, which has three dealerships in Scotland and four in England.

Her promotion is part of long-term succession planning, although founder Brian Gilda, Ms Gilda's father, has no immediate plans to retire.

The appointment has been announced with Peoples on track to deliver record turnover and profits for the fourth successive year. Peoples, which is 11 months into its current financial year, reported profits of £4.36 million on turnover of £205m last time.

Ms Gilda joined the business, which sold 16,000 cars last year, after leaving school in 1993. She combined work in the dealership with studies at the University of Strathclyde, where she gained an MSc in business and strategic HR management.

Ms Gilda spent five years running one of the Peoples businesses on Merseyside between 2005 and 2010, and has worked closely with Ford of Britain in its dealer councils. She was recently appointed to Ford of Europe's consumer experience council, where she works with Elena Ford, vice president global dealer and consumer experience, and granddaughter of Henry Ford II.

Mr Gilda, chairman of the European Ford Dealer Council, said: "Nicola's appointment ensures progress in customer handling and integration between the companies."

Asked to name her immediate priorities in her new role, Peoples' former group HR director said maximising consumer engagement and satisfaction with the business is "absolutely paramount".

Ms Gilda said: "People are so much more informed and we need to make sure we have complete experts dealing with them at all stages of their journey, from when they look online to when they sign on the bottom line. We want all touch points to be memorable."

Ms Gilda's rise at Peoples is rare for a woman in the car industry, which continues to be male dominated. She said meetings of senior industry executives can feature as few two females among total gatherings of 200. That imbalance has not held her back, but she said she has to work doubly hard to convince others of her talents because her father established the business.

Mr Gilda said: "Working with your father as chairman of the company offers no advantages and if anything only raises the bar of expectation. Nicola has not only delivered on this expectations, but has carved her own professional identity internally and also with Ford Motor Company and our other business partners."