Velofix hires former Canyon executive Ward Grootjans to handle European expansion

Velofix has recruited former Canyon executive Ward Grootjans to the position of Vice President of Global Business Development.

Signaling that it has “aggressive growth plans”, the world’s largest mobile mechanic franchise has said previously that it will roll out into the UK, Australia and beyond.

Grootjans meanwhile will be based in the Netherlands. Having started his career at Accenture Amsterdam, he brings strategic consultancy experience to the table, as well as leadership experience from his time with Canyon in Koblenz, Germany.

Velofix currently has over 50 franchise partners on the road in North America and one of Grootjans’ key mandates will be the global rollout of Velofix. Grootjans will also focus on building Velofix Direct, a direct to consumer bicycle delivery and assembly program that leverages the company’s Mobile Bike Shops for last-mile delivery and service for leading bicycle brands

“The last five years I was part of revolutionizing the bike industry by building a global bike brand that sells direct-to-consumer”, said Grootjans. “To be a leading brand in the bike industry it’s necessary to be truly customer focused. I learned about Velofix and was impressed by the concept. After meeting the team, seeing their professionalism, enthusiasm and personalities, I realized that they will change the bike industry. I am happy to bring my experience to their customer-centric revolution.”

“Our entire motivation for starting Velofix was to deliver a professional experience that is completely focused on customer convenience and satisfaction,” said Velofix co-founder Chris Guillemet. “With his background and experience at the world’s leading consumer-direct bike brand, Ward is the perfect person to drive our global expansion and Velofix Direct program. We are the leading brand of Mobile Bike Shops and have aggressive growth targets for the coming years; Ward is going to help us exceed those goals and continue our expansion at a fast pace.”

Founded in 2012, Velofix currently has sold 60 + franchises and has a presence in nearly every key market in North America. Velofix’ expansion plans include a total of 150 franchises across North America and launching in Europe in 2017.