Fleet Logistics International has appointed a highly experienced contract hire and leasing specialist in the UK as it bids to expand its managed fleet there by 10,000 units this year.

David Raponi joins the organisation as business development director with responsibility for large national and international sales.

Raponi has more than 12 years’ experience in the UK leasing industry at three major contract hire and leasing providers, Arval, LeasePlan and GE Capital, and a further five years in the UK and US daily rental industries.

He reports to Stuart Donnelly, chief regional officer for Europe north, as the company looks to aggressively expand the 110,000-plus vehicle fleet it manages across Europe.

Based at the company's Birmingham office, Raponi will be responsible for the identification and recruitment of new national and multi-national fleet customers, and will also play a part in helping Fleet Logistics expand internationally as part of the international business development team that operates across 24 countries.

Raponi said there was "huge interest" among corporate fleets that he had spoken to in the Fleet Logistics operating model, which uses multi-bidding to source the most cost-effective vehicles from a panel of preferred leasing suppliers.

"Since the 2008 recession, we have seen a greater corporate focus on cost control across the board, including the fleet budget. As a result, companies are more inclined to look at different models of operating their fleets, rather than using a sole supply leasing arrangement.

"And they are particularly interested in the multi-bidding, closer cost control approach that Fleet Logistics has to offer. For very large fleets this includes unbundling some of the services from the standard leasing package, such as tyres, glass, SMR, daily rental and breakdown cover.

"For me, personally, coming from a leasing background, it has been very interesting to hear the reaction from people to this kind of fleet management approach.

"The market has been very keen to talk to someone who can lift the lid on leasing companies’ practices that they may not have had access to previously. After all, it is usually their primary objective to maximise their return on capital, as they are typically owned by a bank or vehicle manufacturer for whom profit maximisation is all important."

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