JOHN Leigh, senior vice-president of Vanguard Car Rental, has been appointed chairman of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), replacing Brian Back, who stepped down after a two-year tenure.

A spokesman said Leigh would hold his new post for two years and during this time will be ‘responsible for directing the strategy of the association as it deals with the multiplicity of challenges in today’s marketplace’.

Leigh said: ‘Although it is a non-executive role it will involve commitment and hard work but I am relishing the forthcoming challenge. This challenge involves making the two sides of our industry – vehicle leasing and vehicle rental – even more customer and service focused. Companies need to take a non-competitive perspective in order to further improve the customer experience and the BVRLA forms the perfect catalyst for this.’