Phil-WP-admin, Author at Centeca

Centeca supports men’s mental health at inaugural Golf Day

16.09.26

Around 100 dealers, partners and colleagues attended Centeca’s first industry event under its new group identity.

Centeca brought together around 100 dealers, partners and colleagues for its inaugural Invitational Golf Day at The Belfry Hotel & Resort.

Held on Monday 14 September 2026, the event was Centeca’s first industry gathering since Evolution Funding Group introduced its new group identity.

Guests took to the renowned PGA National Course for a day focused on strengthening existing relationships, creating new connections and bringing people from across the automotive industry together with the wider Centeca team.

The event also raised £1,060 for the Stuart Elias Foundation after Centeca matched donations made by guests on the day.

The Foundation raises awareness of men’s mental health and suicide prevention within the golfing community, as well as funding training for mental health ambassadors in golf clubs across Lincolnshire. Its message, ‘You don’t have to tee off alone’, highlights the role golf can play in encouraging conversation, connection and support.

Duncan Josey, Chief Strategy Officer at Centeca, said:

“We were delighted to welcome so many dealers, partners and colleagues to our first industry event as Centeca.

“The day was about bringing together the people and relationships that sit behind our business, thanking our partners for their continued support and creating time for valuable conversations away from the usual working environment.

“We were also proud to support the Stuart Elias Foundation and help raise awareness of its important work within the golfing community.”

The event gave guests an opportunity to learn more about Centeca and how its brands work across automotive finance, retail technology and compliance.

Centeca strengthens AI capability with strategic appointment

Centeca strengthens AI capability with strategic appointment

01.09.26

The new senior role puts AI at the centre of Centeca’s next phase of product and platform development.

Centeca, a UK automotive fintech group operating across automotive finance, retail technology and compliance, has appointed its first Head of AI Strategy & Enablement.

The appointment places dedicated leadership behind the development and deployment of AI across the Group, which supports more than 5,500 transacting retailers and facilitates £6.5 billion in platform loan advances annually.

Oliver Northam takes on the newly created role with responsibility for shaping and delivering Centeca’s Group-wide AI strategy. The move builds on activity already underway and formalises Centeca’s approach to developing high-value AI applications with appropriate governance and security, alongside the regulatory controls required by its regulated businesses.

The appointment follows Centeca’s recent launch of a ChatGPT car-search app through its automotive retail technology brand, Click Dealer. Developed by its automotive finance platform, Evolution Funding, the app enables consumers to search more than 120,000 vehicles from independent UK retailers conversationally within ChatGPT before connecting directly with the supplying dealer.

The initiative is an early example of how Centeca is applying generative AI to create new customer experiences and commercial opportunities. It also demonstrates the potential to combine technology, data and market insight from across the Group to develop practical solutions at scale.
Northam moves into the position from his role as Head of Engineering at Evolution Funding. Since joining the business in 2022, he has played a central role in modernising its technology platform, progressing from Development Manager to Head of Engineering.

With more than 15 years’ experience in technology and engineering, Northam has led technical strategy, platform transformation and information security within regulated environments. His work at Evolution Funding has included the migration of complex legacy systems towards an event-driven architecture and the use of AI-assisted analysis to support the transformation of a ten-year-old technology estate.

Paul Saggar, Chief Innovation Officer at Centeca, said:

“AI is changing the way people discover products, interact with digital services and make financial decisions. For Centeca, this creates an opportunity to rethink parts of the automotive journey and develop services that would not previously have been possible.

“The Click Dealer ChatGPT app is an early example of that thinking, creating a new route for consumers to find vehicles and connect directly with independent retailers. But our ambitions extend well beyond a single application.

“Creating this role is a deliberate investment in Centeca’s future. Oli combines deep knowledge of our technology with the experience and judgement needed to give our AI activity clear direction and ensure it contributes meaningfully to the Group’s growth.”

Oliver Northam, Head of AI Strategy & Enablement at Centeca, said:

“I have been passionate about technology for as long as I can remember, and AI is the most significant chapter yet. We now have an opportunity to build on that early progress and make AI a dependable part of how products are developed and businesses operate.

“My priority is to create the foundations that allow good ideas to progress confidently: bringing the right people together, testing where the technology is genuinely useful and applying the standards needed for it to be trusted.

“Centeca has extensive technical knowledge, industry experience and data across the Group. I’m excited to bring those strengths together and help translate them into the next generation of services for our partners and customers.”

Centeca connects independent car retailers to AI-led commerce through Click Dealer

Centeca connects independent car retailers to AI-led commerce through Click Dealer

18.08.26

New Click Dealer plugin makes stock from independent automotive retailers discoverable through conversational search, directing customers from ChatGPT into dealers’ own digital retail environments.

Automotive fintech group Centeca has launched a new conversational commerce capability that connects ChatGPT users with more than 120,000 vehicles from independent automotive retailers.

Delivered through Centeca brand Click Dealer, the plugin allows consumers to describe their requirements using natural language and identify relevant vehicles based on factors including budget, intended use and preferred fuel type.

Rather than introducing another marketplace destination, the technology directs customers to the supplying retailer’s own Click Dealer website, connecting AI-led discovery with the dealer’s existing digital retail and lead conversion tools.

As consumers increasingly use generative AI to research products and services, retailers face a new visibility challenge: ensuring their inventory remains discoverable when searches begin outside conventional websites, search engines and marketplaces. Click Dealer’s approach connects its retailer network to this emerging channel while preserving a direct route into each dealer’s own digital environment.

The plugin uses Model Context Protocol, an open standard that enables AI platforms to connect with external tools and structured data. Through this connection, ChatGPT can search Click Dealer’s regularly refreshed vehicle inventory using criteria including budget, location, body type, colour and mileage, while allowing customers to refine their requirements through natural conversation.
The underlying StockStack search service and MCP server were both developed in-house by Evolution Funding, another Centeca brand. Because the connection uses an open protocol, the same technology pattern could potentially be adapted for other AI platforms and marketplaces as they emerge.

Paul Saggar, chief innovation officer at Centeca, said:

“AI is changing the point at which product discovery begins. The challenge for retailers is not only making their inventory accessible through these new interfaces, but ensuring that interest can move into an environment where they retain their brand, customer relationship and digital retail journey.

“Using an open protocol and technology developed within the group gives us a reusable foundation for connecting structured automotive inventory with conversational AI. ChatGPT is the immediate application, but the same approach has the potential to support other AI-led discovery environments in the future.

“The longer-term opportunity is to connect AI-led discovery with the wider technology and fintech capabilities across Centeca, creating a more joined-up journey from initial customer need through to vehicle suitability, affordability and purchase.”

The launch forms part of Centeca’s strategy to connect automotive retail, finance and technology more closely across the customer journey. Developed initially through Click Dealer, the plugin also creates the foundation for future integration with the automotive finance capabilities of Evolution Funding.

The plugin has been developed as part of Click Dealer AI, Click Dealer’s wider application of AI across automotive retail. It also represents the first stage of Dealer in a Box Reach, extending the existing Dealer in a Box proposition into AI-led customer acquisition.

Dealer in a Box combines Click Dealer’s website and digital retail technology with access to Evolution Funding’s automotive finance platform. Dealer in a Box Reach builds on that connected proposition by opening a new route to consumer demand and connecting customers with relevant dealer stock before they make a conventional enquiry.

The next phase of development will integrate Evolution Funding’s finance and affordability capabilities, helping consumers identify not only vehicles that suit their practical requirements, but options more closely aligned with their budget.

The Click Dealer plugin is available through the Plugin Directory within ChatGPT. Users search for Click Dealer and follow the on-screen prompt to connect it before starting their search as part of a normal ChatGPT conversation. No separate application or software download is required.