BVRLA recognised three more Industry Heroes at its annual dinner in London last night.

Rob Allen, of Hitachi Capital Commercial Vehicle Solutions, Rick Barker, of SHB, and Marlene Stevenson, of Arnold Clark, were presented with their awards in front of 900 industry colleagues at the event in the London Hilton on Park Lane.

Gerry Keaney, chief executive of BVRLA, said: “Our Industry Hero awards recognise rental and leasing industry staff who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.

“Whether it is tackling fraud, pioneering the use of electric vehicles or holding down two jobs at the same time, our heroes demonstrate the breadth of talent and dedication to service within our industry.

“Each of our award winners is a tribute to the sector.”

Stevenson is branch manager of Glasgow South Arnold Clark and manages a team of 24 and a fleet of around 450 vehicles.

BVRLA judges were impressed with her determination to investigate a fraud that had the potential to seriously impact our sector.

They commended her for her determination to protect not only her own company’s vehicle assets, but those of her local competitors as well.

Allen was recognised for his commitment, professionalism and enthusiasm for his role.

He has been integral to the success of a recent tri-partite electric van initiative between Hitachi, Nissan and a major services and utilities company.

As well as helping the client achieve operational efficiencies and significant reductions in CO2 emissions, he has also embedded a largely new team following a relocation of operational activities.

Since joining SHB in 2011, Barker has risen from being a vehicle mechanic to assistant operations manager in Romsey.

In addition to those duties, he has played an essential role as interim workshop manager at Heathrow, one of the company’s busiest sites.