“This gave us the platform to grow through white labels. We had not been in the SME sector, ALD was 500-plus vehicle fleets, so we didn’t have a route to market.

"Winning white label business such as Kia, Vauxhall, Ford, Hyundai and Mazda has been a major driver into SME. And this is where the growth of our fleet has come from.”

This template also provided the foundation for the recent move into banking white label via the RMS/Lombard deal which could add 30,000 to 40,000 vehicles to the fleet over time. Dawson expects further growth from the white label sales channel, although he sounds a note of caution.

“You have to be careful not to spread yourself too thinly.

"The relationship with RBS gives us a link with a major bank in the UK. Société Générale is not on the high street in the UK, so RBS gives us that access. Whether we dilute that is a question we will look at if another opportunity arises.”

He is also mindful that ALD needs to grow its own-brand business; the strategy is for a multi-sales channel approach. Since 2009, corporate business has risen by 8%.

“Leasing companies need to be in corporate and SME to be successful. From our perspective, we are committed to significant expenditure in IT to improve the existing customer front-end systems and create ongoing efficiencies.

"It’s not just buzz phrases; it’s happening now.”

Dawson believes new technology such as smartphones will change the relationship with the customer, making it more interactive. But it requires investment to enable leasing companies to be able to fully exploit these developments.

ALD has an established track record in being at the vanguard of new initiatives.

In addition to its pioneering online quoting system, the company was also the first to introduce its own in-house telematics to its fleet, ProFleet, initially as a way to trace vehicles and monitor mileage.

Every customer is encouraged to have a live system in their cars and now ALD is adding new innovations to help fleets better manage their vehicles and drivers.

Telematics is a hot topic with a number of leasing companies assessing how the technology might help them to improve efficiencies.

Zenith, for instance, has outlined plans for bespoke leasing rates based on the individual performance of drivers.
Dawson doesn’t intend to take it this far. He believes that any development needs to add clear value for the customer.