Key questions answered by the experts.

Q: Our company is in the process of merging with a competitor. We have a well-developed fleet policy, which is run quite tightly. Our new owners have a much less developed fleet policy, and their costs seem to be much higher.

Their fleet is run by their procurement function and there is no full-time fleet manager. How could I get the whole fleet job?

A: Mergers and takeovers create a period of uncertainty and the need for changes across all areas of the new organisation.

You seem to have identified an opportunity for the new company but it needs to be carefully pitched to your line manager, and eventually senior management, if it is going to be successful.

The proposal for having a dedicated fleet manager should focus on the positive impact this position will have. What are the business benefits? What are the cost savings of creating this role?

Can you show evidence of the impact the role will have over the short and longer term? Use the experience from your previous role to outline why the new organisation needs an individual to manage the fleet policy.

Pitching the idea of a fleet manager does not necessarily mean that you will be offered the role. However, the fact that you have taken the initiative to put the proposal together, and your previous experience as a fleet manager, shows initiative and enthusiasm.

JO CAUSON
Director, marketing and corporate affairs, Chartered Management Institute