Trade credit insurer Euler Hermes has hired Melissa Dowle as director of customer strategy and Mike de Bresser as commercial director in its UK and Ireland management team.

Both roles are effective from July.

The director of customer strategy is a newly-created role and Dowle will manage the company’s response to the changing needs of customers.

De Bresser, who is currently commercial director of Euler Hermes Netherlands, will take over as commercial director of UK and Ireland from Dowle. He will be responsible for new business, client account management and marketing. He will report to Milo Bogaerts, CEO of UK and Ireland.

Commenting on the new roles, Bogaerts says: “Melissa and Mike both have outstanding track records in new business, maintaining a high level of client satisfaction, and developing profitable growth. We live in turbulent times globally, which demand greater focus on client needs. And the digital revolution creates the opportunity for us to maintain our market leadership by constantly improving how we serve them.”

Dowle joined the company in 1994 as national sales manager for collections, moving to head of direct new business in 2004 and head of direct distribution in 2010. In addition to that role, in January 2013 Dowle also took on the role of country manager of Slovakia before being appointed commercial director of UK and Ireland in September 2013.

De Bresser has been with the company for over 20 years. He has been commercial director of Netherlands for nearly four years.

Previously he was CEO of Interpolis kredietverzekeringen, a credit insurance joint venture with Interpolis, and head of distribution for the Euler Hermes northern Europe region.

He was commercial director for Euler Hermes Canada from 2009-2012 and regional director in the Benelux for the Euler Hermes World Agency before that.