Companies news PayByPhone appoints new global CEO Flowbird acquires Your ParkingSpace Jonny Combe has been appointed as the new global CEO for PayByPhone, one of the leading parking mobile apps and payment solutions. Combe, pictured below, was already part of the senior leadership team and has previously held several high-profile roles, including four years as general manager of mobility, real estate and innovation for BMW. Combe takes over from CEO of four years Andy Gruber, who is to take on a senior management role within PayByPhones parent company Volkswagen Financial Services, and sit on the PayByPhone supervisory board. During Grubers tenure as CEO, PayByPhone doubled its monthly app users and extended its coverage from five to 11 countries worldwide. He said: Jonny fully understands not only our products and services, but also the challenges our clients and customers face. I have full confidence and trust in Jonny as I hand the reins to him this is an exciting time for PayByPhone. Combe will continue to hold his own corporate CEO position with PayByPhone until a replacement is appointed. Flowbird has announced the acquisition of YourParkingSpace a leading pre-book and subscription marketplace. Flowbird is a global provider of software, mobile apps, and hardware solutions for parking. It also supplies ticketing and open payments for municipal and privately owned parking and public transport systems under its Smart Transport scheme. Flowbirds digital solutions have expanded over the past few years. Adding YourParkingSpace to the group brings another dimension to Flowbirds tech stack. President of Flowbird group Bertrand Barthelemy said: Flowbird will benefit from YourParkingSpaces experience in marketplace bookings. This will help to better support our mobile app community by providing them with advanced features. Harrison Woods, CEO of YourParkingSpace, said: As the same entity, we bring together the best on-street and offstreet parking technology to create an unrivalled solution. APCOA buys Gemini Parking APCOA has announced it has acquired UK-based Gemini Parking Solutions in a move that will strengthen its Park and Control division. Car park operator APCOA manages more than 1,400 car parks across the UK and will incorporate Geminis operations in more than 100 locations. Park and Control focuses on managing parking in city and town centre locations on private ground. The company provides a range of expertise and technologies to alleviate the daily pressure of managing the car parks for clients. APCOAs regional managing director UK&I, Kim Challis, said: Gemini Parking Solutions is an award-winning business in this sector and will be a great fit with APCOA we look forward to welcoming our new colleagues. APCOA and Gemini have both actively supported improvements targeted by the new Parking Code and we will continue to strengthen robust policies and procedures to ensure all car park users are treated fairly, with respect and consideration. Were also excited to develop more innovative solutions in this area and to maximise opportunities in agreement with our clients, through the provision of our Urban Hub strategy where we will deliver via a range of communityfocused products and services to create more sustainable urban life. APCOA has collaborated with Network Rail and EV charging equipment provider Compleo to install APCOA Connect payment systems at a number of railway stations. Users will be able to make a single payment covering both EV and parking fees, or an individual payment for parking or EV charging. 10