Erik Oddershede New ETRA President

BRUSSELS, Belgium – The European Twowheel Retailers Association (ETRA) elected Erik Oddershede from Denmark as its new president. Oddershede is the director of the Danish trade association Danske Cykelhandlere; ETRA’s member in Denmark.

Erik Oddershede has been a member of the ETRA Committee for 15 years, and has always been a fervent supporter of the association. Previously he also served as Vice President of the Committee.

The election of Erik Oddershede took place after Maurice Manders stepped down. Maurice Manders was also the manager of the twowheel department of the Dutch trade-association BOVAG but left this organization recently. Otherwise Manders’ Presidency should have continued until the first quarter of next year. As a result, the ETRA Committee had to look for a replacement.

“First of all I want to thank the past president Maurice Manders for his good work for ETRA and its members, which strongly improved ETRA’s financial and political position. I also wish him all the best in his new job,” says Erik Oddershede. His objectives for the future are clear: “Electric vehicles are a growing market and will without any doubt play an important part in the future of dealers of bicycles and power twowheelers. Therefore it is very important that ETRA makes the European Institutions aware of the many benefits of electric bicycles, scooters and motorcycles as a key element of a sustainable urban transport system.”

Oddershede continues: “Another very important challenge is to strengthen ETRA’s motorcycle and bicycle departments by recruiting new members. This will in turn allow ETRA’s voice to be better heard in Brussels. We are lucky to be able to count on a very skilled staff to help us to achieve ETRA’s goals for the future, such as our Secretary General Annick Roetynck. Therefore I am very optimistic for ETRA’s future” said Erik Oddershede.

Erik Oddershede will also continue to work on the other strategic objectives set out under Maurice Manders’ Presidency: the relaunch the motorcycle department, which was approved by committee members during the latest committee meeting in Copenhagen on 1 April, and the further development of ETRA as a platform for national associations to exchange experience with a view to better assisting the bicycle and motorcycle dealers in their country.