Competing in the highest league
The long wait is over: The acquisition of ING Car Lease announced in July 2011 was completed a few days ago. This means that we are now one of the top five fleet management companies in Europe.
Here some figures: Alphabet now has nearly 2,000 employees and is present in a total of 19 countries. We have 460,000 financed cars under contract. Thanks to two powerful portfolios, we can now address even more international customers with services like corporate car-sharing and multi-make fleets.
We are now in a position to truly innovate the fleet management market and become trendsetters. “It’s a perfect marriage”, said CEO Norbert van den Eijnden, referring to the complementary quality of the merger. Indeed, two corporate cultures are merging and that means excitement and creativity. And all that in a booming market segment.
The new management
Once the acquisition of ING Car Lease was completed in September, the new Alphabet went straight to work on the transition. The to-do list was impressive, amongst the highest priorities being the restructuring of top management. In order to provide our customers with the best possible know-how and service we brought together the best people possible.
As is now known, Alphabet will be led by two co-CEOs. Norbert van den Eijnden, who was named CEO of Alphabet in 2009, is now responsible for the back office. Ed Frederiks, former CEO of ING Car Lease, will head the front office. Both CEOs will be supported by highly skilled and motivated people. Ed Frederiks can count on the extensive experience of Dr. Nancy Storp, Head of Marketing and Business Development, Eric Lelarge who is Head of International Sales and, finally, Christian Steiner, Head of Mobility Services.
Norbert van den Eijnden will work closely with Eberhard Schrempf who remains Chief Financial Officer, Jules Blijde who has been made Chief Operating Officer and last but not least, Menno Boekestijn as Chief Risk Officer.
Alphabet’s CEO is Automotive Manager of the Year
Norbert van den Eijnden was chosen as Automotive Manager of the Year by a four-person jury at a gala dinner in Garderen, The Netherlands. Van den Eijnden received the prize, a bronze sculpture by Dutch artist Maurice de Boer, from Bernard Wientjes, chairman of the Dutch Employers’ Federation and chair of the jury. He was praised for his management skills and Alphabet’s outstanding performance over the past two years. The jury also acknowledged van den Eijnden’s significant role in the merger of Alphabet with ING Car Lease in September 2011. Van den Eijnden expressed great pleasure at the award, but pointed out that the real credit should go to the team at Alphabet: ”It is very satisfying that a renowned jury should recognize our achievements, but it is the team that earned this award. This is not something I achieved on my own,” he said. This is the fifth time the award was presented at a ceremony organized by Automotive magazine and sponsored by VDO, the automotive suppliers.
Click here to see photos of the award ceremony.
