Clevers, formerly active in several management positions in civil service, is keen to have a regular dialogue with Dutch politicians. He wants to hold discussions with policymakers which will be both beneficial to the public and leasing companies.
'I've never worked for a leasing company, but travelling 40,000 miles annually, I'm a heavy user of the Dutch infrastructure,' Clevers said. VNA has deliberately chosen an outsider to be its new chairman, particularly looking for an intelligent leader and spokesman.
'For many years I've worked as a manager in several public services and I am very much aware of the importance of frequent consultation,' Clevers added. He is focused about his aims for the VNA.
Having an influence on political decision-makers is top of his agenda.
He added: 'In Holland there has been a lot of discussion on the subject of imposing a levy on driven miles. Our position has been one of co-operation and not one of simple rejection.
'Our philosophy is that VNA jointly bears responsibility for attaining optimum mobility, and if this is the way to get there, we support the minister.'
The VNA says its position differs from other organisations active in the mobility sector and adds that being co-operative is far more effective than protesting.
'Whereas others opposed the idea of electronic road pricing, the VNA was quite willing to co-operate with an experiment should it prove to help,' it added.
The business community benefits from a reduction of traffic jams and it's very much in the interest of VNA-members that their customers can make time-effective use of their cars, the organisation said.
The VNA says its commitment to lobbying the government is further demonstrated by the appointment of a new secretary-general, Timo Corporaal.
Like Clevers, Corporaal has his roots in working for the Government. Having studied law in Leiden, Corporaal started working at the Ministry for Social Affairs and Employment.
Philippe Dauger is the new president of Renault Portugal, taking over from Christian Pouillaude, who is now in charge of strategy and planning in the commercial department, based at the French manufacturer's headquarters in Paris.
Dauger joined Renault in 1984 and was responsible for the logistical organisation of replacement parts and he held that position until 1988.
From 1999, he was director of service and quality at Renault France and led a team of 250 employees.
His new move finds him with a company with sales of almost €500 million and pre-tax profits of €20 million. There are 48 dealers in the country, five of which are commercial branch houses belonging to Renault Portugal.
After hitting number one spot in the national market several times during the 1990s, Renault Portugal lost its dominance and is now going through a less prosperous period.
However, Renault expects an improved performance across Europe thanks to the revamped Clio and the new Laguna.
Former Opel Nederland managing director Alan Batey has become executive director fleet and commercial vehicles for General Motors Europe.
Batey's appointment comes as the manufacturer undergoes a radical top to bottom study of all its business sections as the company aims to return to profitability.
As reported in the last issue of Fleet News Europe, in an exclusive interview with Nick Reilly, new GM Europe vice-president sales, marketing and aftersales, the manufacturer has launched what it calls Project Olympia which will see the adoption of best practice across the various European markets.
The project is geared towards bringing Opel and GM Europe back to consistent and sustainable profitability levels as of 2003.
In order to reach those levels, the company said it will need to achieve revenue and cost improvements in excess of €2 billion over the next two years.
'We identified a host of impactful initiatives aimed at reviving the Opel brand through more innovative products and through a new and integrated marketing and communications approach,' said Opel chairman Carl-Peter Forster.
'Coupled with a plan to restructure the distribution network, and with measures to improve capacity utilisation and productivity, we believe we are moving fast to put Opel and GM Europe back on the road to success,' he added.
International automotive data and residual value specialist EurotaxGlass's has appointed Kevin Gaskell as its global chief executive.
Gaskell was formerly managing director of BMW (GB), and left the manufacturer to join the internet car retailer CarsDirect.com as chief executive officer of its European operation. He subsequently led a management buyout of the business, forming the software company epyx.
EurotaxGlass's is owned by private equity company Hicks Muse and operates in 25 countries.
QEK Global Solutions, the supplier of engineering sales and marketing support services, has appointed Robert Shapton as a new chief financial officer to its global management team.
He joins the company from Unisys, where he was chief operating officer of the company's European telecommunications business, responsible for more than 500 staff in 17 countries.
His new role means he is responsible for the financial activities of QEK across its worldwide businesses. Shapton replaces Art Hall who remains within the group working for QEK's parent company ABN AMRO on specialist projects.
(September 2001)
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