Alphabet’s latest Partnership Forum brought together brokers, retailers and affinity partners from across Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The leasing company’s second forum of 2019 was held at the Titanic Hotel in Liverpool, with a one-day conference to explore and discuss strategically important topics on the automotive and leasing agenda with senior Alphabet leadership.

Content during the day included sharing industry best practices, compliance updates, updates on ultra-low and zero emission vehicles, as well as examples of digital innovation from beyond the automotive sector.

Gavin Davies, general manager of indirect sales at Alphabet, said: “The Partnership Forum is an important event for us as it’s an absolute demonstration of Alphabet’s unique approach to partnership and our commitment to these important customer channels.”

Brokers, retailers and intermediaries who attended the event enjoyed a business update from Alphabet CEO Nick Brownrigg, followed by sessions on the changing regulatory environment from Alphabet’s director of compliance, Leanne Christmas and Richard Chadwick, head of Alphabet Partner.

Delegates also had the opportunity to further explore and discuss issues relevant to their own specific businesses during channel committee meetings, providing ‘Voice of the Customer’ sessions which were attended by senior members of the Alphabet leadership team.

Davies said: “Our senior leadership have the opportunity to share business and market updates directly with some of our most important business partners and the personal, open approach is very much appreciated.

“The people who attend our forums are serious business people who like to keep their eyes on the horizon but also like to be able to spend quality time directly with the decision-makers in our business.”

Alphabet previously held a Partnership Forum in September for business partners in the South and Midlands, so Davies said it was great to be able to engage with its partners in Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland for a whole day.

“It’s a very open Forum where we discuss the topics that our business partners tell us matter most to them,” he said. “It’s a vital tool for us in terms of feedback and truly listening to the ‘voice of the customer’, as well as being able to engage our business partners in strategic dialogue.

“We know that one day out of any business is a significant time commitment, so we ensure that we spend the time our delegates give us wisely and give them something in return that they can use and take back to their own businesses.”

Alphabet Partner, overseen by Davies, is one of the three business channels represented at the Partnership Forum, and provides SME organisations and sole traders with access to Alphabet’s comprehensive suite of funding, fleet management and mobility solutions via a select network of Broker partnerships.

Launched in 2014, Alphabet Partner involves Brokers across England, Wales, Scotland plus Northern Ireland and is responsible for a fleet of nearly 30,000 vehicles. New head of Alphabet Partner, Chadwick was appointed in October 2019, having worked within the Partner channel since its launch.

Following the success of the first two Alphabet Partnership Forum initiatives in 2019, the company intends to hold several further, similar events in 2020.

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