Four individuals were given industry achievement awards at last week’s Annual Dinner, with three industry heroes and one L&D achiever being recognised in front of over 850 colleagues.
Speaking at the Annual Dinner, Gerry Keaney, Chief Executive, BVRLA, said: “BVRLA members have always operated to the highest standards, which can only be done with the incredible efforts of the teams behind it all. This year it was harder than ever to choose our winners. We are exceptionally proud – and incredibly lucky – to have so many talented, inspiring and effective people working across our membership.”
This year’s winners represent the full BVRLA membership, coming from large and small companies from across vehicle rental, leasing and broker firms.
Find out a little more about our latest winners below. Nominations for next year’s Industry Hero Awards will open later this year. Keep an eye on the Annual Dinner page for details on how to nominate a colleague or email [email protected] with any queries in the meantime.
Industry Hero Awards
Our Industry Hero awards run annually and are entirely nominated by BVRLA members. The winners are then determined by a panel of judges, who look for the individuals that have gone above and beyond to deliver impact not only in their role, but for their company and the sector too.
Ollie Weston, Radius Vehicle Solutions Limited
- Role: Compliance & Audit Manager
- Length of service: 10 years
In his decade at Radius Vehicle Solutions, Ollie has worked tirelessly to bring efficiencies at every opportunity, all alongside ensuring the business remains compliant and operating to high standards.
Some of his greatest results have been in protecting the company from rogue hirers, working to analyse rental patterns to identify risks ahead of keys changing hands. With ESG regulations and the FCA’s Consumer Duty developing through 2022 and into this year, Ollie has also been instrumental in getting his company into a position of readiness. Proactive steps have been taken, with Ollie’s introduction of a new paperless vehicle handover process just one example that has brought environmental, compliance and efficiency benefits.
Nic Cottee, LeasePlan UK
- Role: Collections Manager
- Length of service: 3.5 years
Having been able to successfully bridge the gaps that have been known to appear between account and sales departments, Nic has consistently forged strong customer relationships and keep the vehicle order book in a healthy place.
Nic is praised by colleagues for her fresh and collaborative approach to align teams internally. Her approach results in Nic being considered an extension of multiple teams beyond her own, bringing benefits in the form of more effective management of customer debt, positive cross-departmental relationships, and mutually beneficial long-term customer relationships. Tangible, eye-catching results on debt reduction demonstrate the scale and impact of Nic’s efforts.
Ben Edwards, Arval UK
- Role: Consultant
- Length of service: 8 years
Expanding beyond his role, Ben has become a key advocate for the sector and is a prominent voice in furthering the move towards sustainable transport solutions.
Through working closely with customers, colleagues and local communities, Ben works tirelessly to further the green agenda and bring positive changes. His analytical approach identifies barriers fleets face when transitioning to electric vehicles, which are then overcome on a case-by-case basis to map out a fleet’s journey to electric. Beyond this, Ben has been a constant source of support for his colleagues. Through internal wellbeing support and external advocacy for improving peoples’ mental health, Ben’s impact spans his day-to-day role and much more.
BVRLA Learning & Development Achiever
Katy Aston, Gateway2Lease
The BVRLA recently completed a hattrick of record-breaking years for its L&D programme. 2022 saw over 6,400 individuals receive formal training from the BVRLA, with 2,255 colleagues using the e-learning platform (look out for its relaunch this year).
Ahead of all of them was Katy, who scored an impressive average of 91.1% across the e-learning Essentials Package (against a total user average of 86.9%). The package includes 12 modules across Anti-Bribery, Financial Crime Prevention, and Anti-Money Laundering, with online assessments throughout.
Katy’s exceptional performance, coupled with a commitment to expand her knowledge and meet high standards made her a very worthy winner.
