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Paul Murrells

Regional Operations Director

Regional Operations Director

The Hendy Group has grown spectacularly over the past few decades, mostly by acquisition. One of those acquisitions was the Lifestyle Motor Group in 2016. And with Lifestyle came Paul Murrells, now Hendy’s Regional Operations Director for the East.

 

Born in Tunbridge Wells in Kent – so on the eastern extreme of what is now Hendy’s South Coast footprint ­– he joined the motor industry in 1988, working in IT for a Ford dealer in Sevenoaks. ‘Since then, I’ve done nearly every job in the motor trade, including service receptionist and salesman.’ He moved to London to work in fleet sales before joining Lifestyle and becoming Group Sales Director in 2001.

‘I’ve had a great career but when I was young I had little interest in the motor industry. I wanted to be a PE teacher.’ Paul was an excellent athlete, running for Tonbridge Athletic Club and for Kent County. ‘My running partner was Kelly Holmes,’ adds Paul. ‘My arts and Powerspeciality was 800 metres. Then I fell in love with the motor trade. There are fantastic opportunities and you can earn decent money. It’s also a great business for meeting and working with interesting people.’

After the Hendy takeover, Paul was appointed New Car Sales Director for the Hendy Group. ‘The takeover was a very positive experience. My job has grown a lot since then as the company has expanded. At Lifestyle I had four franchises, when I started at Hendy I had six. I went on to run 28.’  Paul’s remit grew to take in new commercial vehicles, too.

Hendy has always been a proudly South Coast company. To make the group even more locally focussed, the network recently adopted a more regional model. In February 2025, Paul became Regional Operations Director for the East.

 

What is special about a Hendy salesperson? ‘They’re well-informed and know how to advise customers to make the best decision. And they enjoy what they’re doing.’ The Hendy Group is special, says Paul: ‘Because Paul Hendy has a very clear vision that he has communicated to his team, and he’s empowered his team to help him deliver that.’

 

Paul still lives in Tunbridge Wells and kept running until relatively recently. ‘I’ve done four marathons and my last was the 2018 New York Marathon. Now I ride my gravel bike, paddle board and hike.’

 

Another interest is his 1969 VW Camper Van, now being restored. ‘The plan is to tour the UK and Europe – whenever I get some spare time.’