By Grant Collinson, Peter Johnstone, Daniel Milroy Maher, and Steffen Müller.
A round up of the week’s fleet news, this week featuring: Fleet Logistics’ move into Poland, new recruits for Invigors and Tusker, and a fleet deal between Mercedes and Leasedrive.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Fleet Logistics launches in Polish fleet market
Fleet management provider Fleet Logistics (FL) has entered the Polish fleet market and appointed two staff to its new office in Warsaw.
Wojciech Blaszczyk, formerly of PSA Finance, and Rafal Zmyslowski, from Arval, will ultimately report to Arnd Martin, chief regional officer for Central and Eastern Europe.
Simon Spremberg, business development director at FL, said: "If we want to be a truly pan European fleet management supplier, then Poland is simply a country we need to be in".
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataAccording to Spremberg, the Warsaw office is expected to employ five staff by the end of the year. FL also suggested it had plans to expand into other European countries "with Turkey most likely to be next on the agenda".
Robert Kingdom joins Invigors from Leasedrive
Consultancy firm Invigors EMEA has announced the appointment of Robert Kingdom as an associate with its vehicle finance team.
Prior to joining Invigors, Kingdom was head of strategic development at vehicle management group, Leasedrive.
He also served as head of marketing and business development at Masterlease, which merged with Leasedrive in 2010, as well as spending three years as managing director of the company’s private label leasing business.
Chris Boobyer, senior partner at Invigors, said: "Robert brings a wealth of strategic and operational experience and expertise, gathered over more than 20 years in the auto finance, leasing and fleet management markets."
MBFS and Leasedrive sign fleet service partnership
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services UK (MBFS), the finance arm of the German automotive manufacturer in the UK, has signed a deal with Leasedrive in which the fleet management firm will handle its fleet operations.
Through the partnership, which will begin in the autumn, MBFS will conduct sales and marketing and provide the finance for fleet leases, and Leasedrive will handle the management of the deals and customer service from the beginning to the completion of the lease term.
In a joint statement on the arrangement, the companies said MBFS were responding to the requirements of "modern fleet operators" and fleet customers would benefit from a "greater flexibility and range" in finance and service options as well as the leasing "experience and expertise" of Leasedrive.
Nick Andrews, head of fleet sales at Mercedes-Benz UK, said the company was the fastest growing premium manufacturer in the UK and has "ambitious plans" to become the number one premium fleet manufacturer, and the Leasedrive partnership was part of several measures to help achieve this aim.
Tusker recruits Ballantyne and Lev for contract hire
Salary sacrifice company Tusker has appointed two business development managers with 45 years of contract hire and leasing experience between them.
Stewart Ballantyne has joined the company from Zenith Vehicle Contracts, having held a variety of senior roles at companies including Lex Vehicle Leasing and Lombard Vehicle Management.
Colin Lev has joined after 12 years with Lombard Vehicle Management where he was development director responsible for large corporate fleets and, before that, spent five years at ALD Automotive working on account management and new business.
Alison Argall, business development director at Tusker, said: "Between them Stewart and Colin bring huge experience of the contract hire and leasing market to Tusker at a time when our aim is to grow our portfolio in this market sector."
Argall was part of Tusker’s 26 strong team which completed the 12 mile Tough Mudder challenge on May 4, and which has currently raised almost £20,000 in sponsorship for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
