Sixt’s newly created “Sixt X” division, which will oversee and manage all new mobility projects within the company, is being headed by industry veteran Nico Gabriel, the mobility provider announced.

The new managing director will lead the division’s focus on digitalizing the car rental process and laying the groundwork for the planned integrated mobility platform on which the Sixt product world will be offered from a single source.

Gabriel joined Sixt in November 2004. After working as franchise operations manager and business development manager for the Sixt franchisee in Australia, he began preparing and implementing the future Sixt car sharing product in 2008.

He has also served as managing director of the carsharing company DriveNow since 2011. Gabriel has since established the former joint venture between Sixt and BMW as an innovation driver in the European mobility landscape, steering it to market leadership in Germany. He left DriveNow’s Management Board following the sale of Sixt’s 50% stake in the company in the first quarter of 2018.

“Nico Gabriel has made a significant contribution to the establishment of modern forms of mobility in recent years, precisely where Sixt will offer such strong prospects in the coming years,” Alexander Sixt said in a statement. “He was practically born to head our new ‘Sixt X’ division. I am delighted that we have been able to win him over for this important new function in our Group.”

Gabriel started his new position June 1, and reports directly to Alexander Sixt.

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