PEARL Assurance is looking for a new fleet manager after its award-winning incumbent Peter Carson left the insurance company 'for personal reasons.' Both parties described his departure as 'amicable,' but it leaves Pearl without a fleet manager for its 2,300 company cars, 1,750 of them BMWs.

The pressure of commuting between his home in Hungerford, Berkshire and Pearl's office in Peterborough are understood to be behind Carson's departure. He was the first specialist fleet manager employed by Pearl, joining the company last August having set up his own consultancy called Insource Fleet Management.

Carson was the first fleet manager to pass the Institute of Car Fleet Management's diploma in fleet management, and twice won the Fleet News Fleet Manager of the Year Award (medium fleets) for his work with ND Service Team. A spokesman for Pearl confirmed the company would appoint a new fleet manager to replace Carson.