Mr Taylor had been commercial director when he joined in June 2016 and before that was operations director at ALD Automotive. He will lead the board and is responsible for the strategic and operational direction of the business.
He said: 'I'm really excited to be leading Essential Fleet at a time of operational transformation and growth. There is no doubt that this business is now delivering on its great potential.
Mark Gallimore has consequently been appointed commercial director and will join the company on 3 April. He is currently at contract hire and leasing company Alphabet where he has had several senior management positions.
Essential Fleet Services Chairman, Andrew Cope, has significantly increased his investment in the business and, since January, has been taking an active role as executive chairman. Andrew has had a long career in the contract hire world having been founder and chairman at Zenith, leading the business through five MBOs and, more recently, as executive chairman and owner at FMG.
Essential started 2017 with several major contract wins with clients, including Harlow Borough Council, Cardiff City Council, Milton Keynes Education Trust and Ayton Products. With a diverse range of vehicles, ranging from minibuses and LCVs to specialist HGVs, these contracts demonstrate Essential's ability to win new customers based on a combination of great service, specialist knowledge and competitive pricing.
With increasing customer demand for rental refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) and tippers, Essential have added more than 50 brand new vehicles, including Dennis Eagle 26t RCVs, Faun Zoeller RCVs on a Mercedes chassis, DAF LF 150 7.5t 4X2 Rigid Tippers and large numbers of Welfare Vans.