Fleet managers are being urged to bring their HR and finance/procurement colleagues to Fleet News’s major new event Fleet Management Live, which takes place at the NEC in Birmingham on October 6 and 7.

The event, which is free to attend, offers a host of networking opportunities, as well as best practice workshops, seminars, and advice clinics to keep company car decision-makers up to date with the latest developments in fleet and to help them tackle their fleet challenges.

It gives key stakeholders, such as HR and finance directors, who are often involved in fleet decision-making but who do not necessarily play a part in the day-to-day running of the fleet, the chance to gain a thorough understanding of fleet in a short period of time.

There will be seminars specifically for HR and finance directors in the Fleet Insight Theatre, which is being sponsored by LeasePlan.

There will also be a session for owners or directors of small and medium-sized businesses who have vehicle fleets.

The HR session will be chaired by Calum Di Lieto, editor and head of content of HR Grapevine, and will feature a range of experts: Dennis Dugen, benefits manager at WSP UK, Joe Burns, corporate liaison officer at road safety charity Brake, and Jonathan and James Backhouse from Backhouse Jones Solicitors.

Their presentations and the subsequent panel discussion will cover the most pressing HR-related issues in fleet, including duty of care responsibilities, grey fleet management, salary sacrifice, and outsourcing and fleet funding.

The finance/procurement session will help finance directors and managers identify potential fleet savings without being swamped by data.

The experts for the session are: David Oliver, procurement manager at Red Bull, Mark Morton, tax director at EY, Darren Bell from Fleetvolution Consulting and Rupert Pontin, head of valuations at Glass’s.

Their presentations will cover: vehicle selection, acquisition and remarketing; taxation; running costs; and wholelife cost analysis, benchmarking and performance monitoring.

Lesley Slater, business development director at LeasePlan, said: “LeasePlan is delighted to be involved with the inaugural Fleet Management Live, particularly with such a broad audience expected to be in attendance.

“We’re really keen to support those groups of people who increasingly play an important role in fleet, alongside the traditional fleet managers – namely HR, finance and procurement specialists.

"Being able to talk to them at the Fleet Insight Theatre and offer some really practical advice is sure to be beneficial for all.”

Paul Tate, commodity manager at Siemens, will be bringing one of his key stakeholders from the company’s HR department along to Fleet Management Live.

He said: “When I heard about Fleet Management Live it seemed to be a really good option for people who are on the periphery of fleet to learn a lot about fleet in one day, all in one place.

“There are certain issues, such as grey fleet and duty of care, which I am always talking about to my colleague in HR but they will benefit from hearing presentations on those topics from independent experts. It will aid their understanding.

“Fleet Management Live also allows me and my colleague to meet with manufacturers, leasing companies and vehicle specialists all under one roof rather than having to spend lots of time visiting those companies. It’s just one day out of the diary. But it will certainly be a full day!”

To find out more about Fleet Management Live and to register for your free ticket, visit www.fleetmanagementlive.co.uk