Nevertheless, he remains tight-lipped about what that means in terms of its risk fleet – the number of vehicles it funds – saying only that it was still “relatively small”.

However, the strategy, quite simply, is growth. A range of new products, which will be unveiled later in the year, is expected to help.

So does Skinner have a figure in mind for the end of 2014? “I’m not going to give you any numbers in terms of the vehicles we aim to fund at this stage,” he says.

“But in the next couple of years you would expect to see us in the FN50.”

FN50 2013 featured Fulton Leasing in 50th place with a risk fleet of 1,273 vehicles, but there’s a confidence in Skinner and a rich history in fleet that suggests it won’t be long before Maxxia secures a place among the country’s top 50 contract hire companies.

He concludes: “The last 12 months have been extremely busy; in many ways it’s been about laying the foundations for the business, but now they’re in place, 2014 promises to be a very exciting year.”

Who is McMillan Shakespeare?

The McMillan Shakespeare Group is Australia’s largest provider of salary packaging and novated leasing (salary sacrifice), and a leading provider of fleet and asset management services.

Launched in 1988, it introduced salary packaging services to Australia and through its brands – Maxxia, RemServ,
Interleasing and Holden Leasing – it provides services to major employers across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

Collectively, the McMillan Shakespeare Group’s business divisions provide workplace benefits needs with expertise in salary sacrifice, associated BIK administration and management, operating leases and asset management for ‘tool of trade’ vehicles and other business assets.

Its clients include federal and state governments, health groups, not-for-profit organisations and private corporations.

The McMillan Shakespeare Group acquired Interleasing and Holden Leasing in 2010, adding operating lease and asset management services such as fleet management to its suite of workplace benefits.