How to - and why you should - build a fleet manager succession plan

This feature was taken from our Fleet Leadership special report

Many fans of hit HBO show ‘Succession’ may be under the impression that taking over the reins from a long-time incumbent is a messy business, dogged with infighting and politics.

However – and unsurprisingly - the reality of succession planning is that, when done properly, it is straightforward and has many benefits for both the organisation and the member of staff who is being succeeded.

This is why such planning is become increasingly common in organisations for many senior roles, including those of fleet decision-makers.

“The aim of succession planning is to be able to fill key roles effectively if a current post holder leaves the organisation or changes role,” says Steve George, digital learning portfolio manager, HR and employment law, at CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development.

“In a climate of enduring skills shortages, interest in succession planning has revived.”

This is a trend Paul Hollick, chair of the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) has also seen in the fleet sector, as organisations look to maintain continuity in their operations if there is a change in fleet decision-maker.

Although the fundamental aims of the majority of fleets are very similar – meeting operational demands, improving safety, reducing costs and cutting CO2 emissions, for example – the day-to-day requirements can vary significantly.

If a new fleet decision-maker is brought in from outside, it can take time for them to fully understand the characteristics of the fleet, as well as establish fruitful relationships with that business’s suppliers 
as well as internal stakeholders.

Such issues can be avoided by appointing someone from within the organisation who is already familiar with the operations, its strategies and suppliers.

It also means that someone can seamlessly step into the role of a fleet decision-maker during unforeseen events such as illness, accidents or sudden departures.

Quality leadership

“Having a succession plan is an important element of good quality leadership,” says Hollick.

“Quality leaders don’t need to lead all the time. There will be times when they will be on holiday or unavailable, and the issue with fleet is that you can expect there will be a problem with the CEO’s or CFO’s car at the worst time possible.

“What you don’t want is to be the single point of failure within your organisation.

“Although you might have an outsourced supply team that can handle things, it is important to develop your team into a position where they can offer support in your absence.

"Of course, this assumes that you are able to get the head count. There are still some really small fleet teams even in big companies.

“It’s not just knowing where things are in terms of keys etc., it’s more about who to speak to, the reason why things are done, and involving them in some of the key strategic elements of what is happening with the fleet as well.”

When the time comes, a team member should be ready to take over the role on a permanent basis.

Steve Winter, former head of fleet at British Gas, is an advocate of succession planning, having both benefited from it before he took over the role at British Gas and delivered it before he left the company in 2022.

“My background was a motor mechanic, so I could fix vans, I could fix cars and I could drive trucks, but I didn’t have the exposure to what a 
business case looked like, for example,” says Winter.

His predecessor Colin Marriott helped him learn the skills to become a successful fleet manager in his own right.

“Colin helped me massively,” says Winter. “Through him I learned about how to put a business case together, how to operate a comprehensive wholelife cost model, how to draw recommendations from those, how to present them to the board and knowing how to prepare for the questions they could ask me.

“It was that kind of administration that I learned from him, as well as the almost political environment of upwards and downwards communication.”

Winter adds: “He never threw me in at the deep end, but he would always give me a task outside my comfort zone.

“So he would say ‘go and speak to the managing director’, so the MD would know who I was – I wasn’t head of fleet, I was Colin’s right-hand person – and, when Colin left, there was no shock for the MD.

“The MD knew me and he was comfortable I was going to go into this position because he knew I’d been taught how the company worked and what the ambitions were.”

Selection process

Participants in succession planning programmes may be selected either by informal methods, such as conversations with managers, or by more formal techniques, such as the performance review process and assessing competencies, says George.

“However, competencies may be too limiting and mechanistic to assess skills such as
leadership. They also relate to the past and present rather than the future,” he adds.

“When using competencies to assess 
‘potential’, organisations need to be very clear and consistent on what potential actually means. It should link to the organisation’s values and its strategic goals.”

When Winter was putting in place his succession planning, he was looking for someone who was good with the day-to day fleet operations, could talk to people, unions and senior leaders, and get their point across really well.

“I think you can start to recognise that in people quite quickly. Are they technically minded? Do they have vision? Ideally, your fleet manager should be looking at a strategy and what’s happening in the next five-to-10 years,” says Winter.

“This person should learn the ropes, become used to getting the operational piece running and then move up to understanding and learning how to write a strategy.”

Winter found these qualities in fleet engineer James Rooney, although ultimately British Gas decided to take a different route when it came to appointing a replacement head of fleet, hiring someone from outside the team.
Rooney is now head of road fleet at Network Rail.

“James is a classic example,” says Winter. “He came in as a graduate, very enthusiastic, extremely young, but was willing to learn.

“That came with its problems as well, because we had other people in the team that had been there 15-to-20 years, and all of a sudden this young whippersnapper is coming in and has got the ear of the boss.

Building relationships

“James had to deal with that and show that he could build those relationships with team members who perhaps thought he was a threat.

“You also have to build a relationship with somebody to understand if they are the right person. Do they think the same way as you do?

“Also, there’s a complementary piece. Do they think about things different to you? Can your skill sets and ideas complement each other? That's when you start to understand whether this is the right person.”

Although Winter knew the timescale of when he was expecting to leave British Gas when he began succession planning, there is never a wrong time to start it.

“It shouldn’t be just if the fleet decision-maker knows when they are leaving,” says Hollick. “I know of a lot of fleet managers that are training their team up to be their successors, even though they aren’t of an age to be thinking about retiring.”

In today's rapidly changing world, fleet managers aren't just managing vehicles—they're leading critical conversations about strategy, sustainability, and efficiency. And whether you realise it or not, you are at the centre of key decisions that shape your business.

You play a pivotal role where finance, HR, operations, and procurement meet, ensuring cost efficiency, legal compliance, and CSR efforts are realised. Fleet managers are at the heart of driving business success.

Our latest special report on “Fleet Leadership” is packed with insights and strategies to help you become a standout leader in your organisation. Dive into critical topics like mentoring future fleet leaders, aligning fleet policies with business goals, and building sustainable mobility frameworks.