Hitach Capital Vehicle Solutions MD appointed BVRLA vice-chair

Jon Lawes, managing director of Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions (HCVS) has been appointed vice-chair of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA).

Lawes joined the BVRLA’s committee of management in 2015 and will lead the post of vice-chair for 12 months.

He said: “I’m honoured to be representing HCVS at this level. I’ve learnt a great deal from my time on the committee of management and see this position as a great opportunity to accelerate solving society’s challenge to decarbonise and overcome barriers to electrification, the biggest of which being confidence in our UK charging infrastructure.”

Lawes has been MD at HCVS for six years, taking the leasing company from a fleet of 62,000 to 95,000 since 2015 and winning the Fleet News Leasing Company of the Year title, in its risk fleet category, for two consecutive years.

Lawes continued: “I’m delighted to continue working with Gerry (Keaney) and the committee of management to continue to deliver the BVRLA Plug in Pledge to operate 1.3m plug-in vehicles by 2025.

“To achieve this, we need the continued backing and support from the Government and Department for Transport to ensure businesses and communities have access to charging infrastructure.

“As Vice-Chair, I will be looking forward to working closely with the BVRLA team to achieve this ambition.”

BVRLA chief executive Gerry Keaney said: “We are all looking forward to working with Jon. His experience and enthusiasm will be invaluable as we address the big issues facing our industry and continue to support our increasingly diverse membership.”