NATWEST'S head of group vehicle services Peter Parkinson is to retire next January after six years in charge of one of the UK's largest car fleets.

Parkinson achieved national prominence by negotiating one of the biggest fleet discount deals with vehicle manufacturers in a wholesale reorganisation of NatWest's car scheme to harness the bank's massive buying power. He won the Fleet News Fleet Manager of the Year for Large Fleets in 1992 in recognition of his skills in managing the bank's 12,500-strong fleet.