ہماری ٹیم

ہمارے بانی

اسٹیون ٹی. جیکسن OBE, founder of Unison Automotive Limited, began trading in private plates in 1989 and writes the value guides on this site.

How the team came together

Most of the people who run Unison Automotive Limited have worked together for years. Jonathan Taylor joined our founder as an employee and became his business partner in 1996, the year the company was incorporated, and Rebecca Wilson has worked alongside him since 1993. William Fletcher, Anthony Sharkey and Jonathan were part of the Recycling Lives team when it won the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise: the awards were Recycling Lives’ own, and they ran it. Liam Derbyshire joined when Car.co.uk launched in June 2020. Philip Ridsdale and Rachel Morris have looked after buyers of private plates for thirty years.

Since then the same team has taken Car.co.uk into the Sunday Times 100 in 2025 and 2026, and in 2026 the company received the King’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation for the system behind it. PrivatePlates.co.uk, which went live in Oct. 2026, is run by the same people.

1. 1996 New Reg Limited, now Unison Automotive Limited, incorporated on 5 Jan., with Jonathan Taylor as a director and company secretary from the first day
2. 2000 Rebecca Wilson joins the board
3. 2020 Car.co.uk launches in June, with Liam Derbyshire joining the team for the launch
4. 2021 Anthony Sharkey joins the board as Chief Operating Officer on 12 March
5. 2022 William Fletcher joins the board as Chief Executive on 5 Dec.
6. 2023 William Fletcher appointed MBE, for services to disadvantaged communities
7. 2025 Car.co.uk enters the Sunday Times 100 at 74th
8. 2026 King’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation, announced 6 May, and Anthony Sharkey meets His Majesty King Charles III in connection with it; Sunday Times 100 again, 85th; PrivatePlates.co.uk goes live in Oct.

The people who run the company

• 

  William Fletcher MBE

  Chief Executive, Unison Automotive Limited

  At Recycling Lives from 2013 to 2020, managing director from 2014 and then chief executive, and part of the team for its Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in 2014, 2018 and 2019.

  A director of Unison Automotive Limited since 5 Dec. 2022 and its Chief Executive since then. He led the group into the Sunday Times 100 in 2025 and 2026, and was Chief Executive when the company received the King’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation in 2026.

  Appointed MBE in the 2023 New Year Honours, “For services to Disadvantaged Communities”, and invested at Buckingham Palace by The Princess Royal.

  A judge in the Promoting Opportunity category of the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise 2022 and the King’s Awards for Enterprise 2024 and 2025.

  Served on the board of the British Metals Recycling Association in 2020. BSc, University of Warwick (Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics).

  

  

  His MBE

• 

  Anthony Sharkey

  Chief Operating Officer, Unison Automotive Limited

  At Recycling Lives from 2016 to 2020: he led its expansion, with five new sites in 2017, then became Chief Operating Officer and a director of Recycling Lives Holdings and its operating companies in 2019 and 2020. Part of the team for its Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in 2018 and 2019.

  A director of Unison Automotive Limited since 12 March 2021 and its Chief Operating Officer. He runs logistics, vehicle collection, dismantling, recycling and trade partnerships for Car.co.uk, Trader.co.uk and Garage.co.uk, built the national network behind same-day and next-day collection and the software and driver app behind it, and chairs the group’s governance forum.

  Met His Majesty King Charles III in connection with the company’s 2026 King’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation.

  Named in letsrecycle.com’s 35 Under 35 in 2018. BSc in Business and Management, Edge Hill University.

  

  

  کنگز ایوارڈ فار انٹرپرائز 2026

• Jonathan Taylor

  Software engineer; engineering lead on NewReg.co.uk

  Joined as an employee and became our founder’s business partner in 1996, as digital technology became central to the private plate business, and has been his right-hand man in it ever since.

  Director and company secretary of New Reg Limited (now Unison Automotive Limited) from its incorporation on 5 Jan. 1996 until 23 Feb. 2021, and a director of New Registrations Limited since 24 Sept. 1998.

  Part of the Recycling Lives team when it won the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, and a director of the Recycling Lives charity, now Onward Lives Charity, since 6 March 2008.

  Engineering lead on NewReg.co.uk and the group’s lead on IT, intellectual property and data, contributing development across the group’s websites.

• Rebecca Wilson

  Administration Director, Unison Automotive Limited

  Has worked alongside our founder since 1993, and has been a director of New Reg Limited (now Unison Automotive Limited) since 4 Jan. 2000.

  Runs administration and finance across the group, and signs and files its company changes.

• Liam Derbyshire

  Group search and marketing lead

  Joined the team when Car.co.uk launched in June 2020, and has led search and marketing for the group since.

  Leads search, customer experience and the web front end across Car.co.uk, Garage.co.uk, Trader.co.uk, NewReg.co.uk, Fuel.co.uk and the newer sites, and is developing unisonautomotive.com, the holding company’s website.

• Philip Ridsdale

  Head of Sales, نجی پلیٹس

  Marks his thirtieth year with the company in 2026.

• Rachel Morris

  Head of Customer Relations and Customer Care, نجی پلیٹس

  Has looked after the company’s customers for thirty years.

• Tim Elleray

  Strategic adviser