The Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) has announced an initial line-up of speakers for its first-ever annual conference, which will take place at The British Motor Museum, Gaydon, on May 18.

They include David Fisher of Virgin Media O2, Charlie Gilbert of Field Dynamics, Matt Hammond of Altrad, AFP chair Paul Hollick, Colin Hutt of Clarion Housing, Stuart Murphy of Royal Mail, Lee Jackson of Marston Holdings, Fleet News fleet manager of the year Steve Openshaw of Eric Wright, James Rooney of Centrica, Stewart Taylor of Police Scotland and Duncan Webb of ISS.

The sessions planned will look at a range of issues facing fleets, including EV charging infrastructure, electric vans and salary sacrifice.

Coronavirus has prevented the industry body from holding an event of this kind since its formation from the merging of ACFO (Association of Car Fleet Operators) and the ICFM (Institute of Car Fleet Management) in March, 2020, explained AFP chair Hollick.

“The AFP finds itself in the unusual position of being a major industry body that has never been able to provide its members with the opportunity to all meet in the same room, so we are very excited about the conference,” he said.

“Not only will it be a chance for fleet managers to get together, network and swap best practice ideas, but the speakers we have been able to secure so far are among the most knowledgeable in our sector.

“We’re concentrating on EV adoption and operation as our subject area because it is the overriding fleet topic of the moment and we are sure that anyone who attends the conference will learn a wealth of useful information.”

Awards will also be presented on the day to members who have achieved AFP accreditations since the organisation was launched and there will also be sessions from Allstar Business Solutions and MINA, who are all event sponsors.

Registration is at https://www.theafp.co.uk/conference/ and open to AFP members only.

The speaker line-up comes as the AFP joins Fleet & Mobility Live as a premium associate partner.

The two-day fleet show, which is being held on October 11-12 at the NEC, near Birmingham, will feature a packed schedule of expert best practice and case studies that tackle the most pressing issues facing fleet and mobility professionals.

The EV Theatre, Fleet and Mobility Management Theatre and Benefits Box will feature presentations on a wide range of topics from electric vehicle charging and maintenance, to fleet safety, upskilling fleets for the future, mobility benefits best practice and much more.