Its risk fleet had risen from 73,000 units in 2009 to more than 85,000 last year, maintaining fourth place in the FN50 amidst a backdrop of mergers and acquisitions.

While others consolidated, Arval was winning business against a tough economic backdrop because of an increasing focus on customer service.

It was named Leasing Company of the Year at the 2011 Fleet News Awards and scooped the customer service award at last year’s FN50 annual dinner.

Beckers, who was in the role for less than three years, oversaw the sale of the Arval fuel card to FleetCor in December 2011 for £194 million and has laid the foundations for the future by establishing new IT systems that have enabled the business to benefit from scale.

Building on that success is vital to Arval achieving growth.

An 8% share of the market would equate to around 124,500 units based on today’s figures – an increase in its current RV risk fleet of a whopping 45%.

Dilly says: “It’s absolutely impossible to say at this stage whether it will be in one year or two years or three years, but a 7-8% market share is what we have to have in mind.”

Benoit Dilly on telematics

“We don’t yet really understand what we can do with telematics and what our customers really want to do with it.

"Is it cost reduction, is it an HR matter, or is it a CSR challenge? I think there are plenty of good initiatives, but more will come and we will need to be ready.”

Factfile

Parent company BNP Paribas
Managing director Benoît Dilly
Total RV risk fleet 85,612*
Car RV risk fleet 59,548*
Van RV risk fleet 26,064*
International operations direct presence 24 countries
Strategic partnerships further 14 countries
*FN50 2012 figures