New man in charge at Pendragon Vehicle Management as Francis departs

Pendragon Vehicle Management (PVM) has announced Phil Wilbraham as group vice president following the departure of Neal Francis.

Francis had been divisional managing director of the business for 18 years after taking the role in 2006.

Wilbraham, who previously served as group finance director for the former Jardine Motors Group business, will also be responsible for National Fleet Solutions.

At Jardine, Wilbraham was responsible for financial control and reporting, financial planning and analysis, finance transformation and tax for £1.7 billion of turnover.

He was also the UK finance lead for mergers and acquisitions when the business became part of the wider international Lithia and Driveway business in 2023.  

A chartered accountant by trade, he also brings with him four-years' experience from LeasePlan, where he worked as both head of financial planning and analysis and latterly head of finance. 

The change at the top follows the company’s acquisition by Lithia earlier this year. 

Pendragon Vehicle Management was ranked 18th in last year’s FN50, with a risk fleet of 11,491 cars and vans.

Wilbraham said: “I’m honoured to join Pendragon Vehicle Management as group vice president. I’m looking forward to the opportunities that this new role will bring, as I look to build on the great foundations already in place at PVM.” 

Wilbraham, who will lead a team of over 50 employees, plans to hit the ground running, by prioritising a collaborative working approach with PVM partners.  

“I am passionate about providing simple and convenient vehicle management solutions, to offer exceptional customer experiences with the customer at the heart of everything we do,” he added. 

Neil Williamson, regional president of Lithia UK, said: “Phil Wilbraham has both the experience and fresh, positive outlook to bring to PVM – he is the ideal person to lead the business to its next stages of growth.

“I’m looking forward to working with Phil closely as we look to further establish our leasing operations across the UK.”