Leasing and fleet management provider ALD Automotive has announced that Mel Dawson has been appointed as its new Managing Director with effect from January 1, 2013. He will report to ALD International’s deputy CEO, Tim Albertsen, based in Paris.

Dawson joined ALD in 1997 as commercial director before being appointed sales director in 2005.

Since then the company has experienced significant growth within its core corporate business, including success with a number of pan-European fleet operations. Dawson’s promotion follows a period of three years, in which ALD’s fleet size has grown organically by more than 35,000 vehicles.

Announcing Dawson’s appointment, Mike Masterson, chief executive of ALD International said: "We were very keen to make an internal appointment, not just to recognise the success of what the current team had already achieved, but because we felt Mel and the rest of the board had the right level of skill and experience to maintain our growing presence in the fleet market.

"The expertise they have - in terms of the commercial, operational and financial aspects of the business - provides an ideal platform for ALD to be a leader in the UK contract hire industry."

Together with Nigel Fletcher as deputy managing director, David Yates as marketing director and Tim Laver as finance director, the senior management team has more than 50 years boardroom experience at ALD Automotive and the appointment further endorses the company’s multi-sales channel strategy, which it has followed since 2009.

While ALD says the key message is ‘business as usual’, it will also be launching a number of customer service initiatives in 2013, including new products and services.

Commenting on his new role, Dawson reaffirmed that looking after the needs of ALD’s existing customers was key to the company’s future success.

He said: "Without a doubt, customer service is our number one priority and, while we know the vast majority of our customers appreciate what we do for them, it’s important that we do not just simply deliver a quality service but that our customers truly understand the difference we can make and the value of what we are offering.

"While we have seen huge new business growth in recent years, it is from looking after our existing customer needs where I see our biggest opportunity going forward. Looking ahead, I am confident that we will continue to give our customers what they need to achieve their goals, by offering innovative fleet management solutions with competitive and sustainable pricing."

Besides his UK responsibilities, Dawson will also be part of the international G8 Management team of ALD International, a team comprising of the group’s largest operating subsidiaries and responsible for developing operational and commercial strategy across Europe.