Caroline Gallagher (pictured above), sales director at Thrifty Car and Van Rental, has been inducted into the Fleet News Hall of Fame.
She was one of six people and companies to be celebrated at the annual FN50 dinner on November 1, 2023, at Park Plaza Westminster Hotel in London, with awards also presented for Wellbeing and leasing customer service excellence.
Pictures from the FN50 Dinner
> Full analysis of the 2023 FN50 contract hire and leasing companies
The Fleet Hall of Fame, sponsored by The AA, recognises and honours people who have made an outstanding contribution to the fleet sector during their career. 
Gallagher has been involved in fleet and leasing for 35 years. Nominated for the Hall of Fame by several peers, she was inspiring women in the automotive industry before there were barely any women to inspire.
Having joined the rental industry with Avis Budget group back in 1987, Gallagher quickly progressed through the ranks before joining Europcar in 1992.
In 1995, she switched to leasing, working for CW Lease (now Alphabet) as head of sales and marketing for car rental, followed by stints at LeasePlan and Inchcape.
Then, in 2004, she was promoted to sales director for Thrifty – a role she has served for almost 20 years.
Gallagher has driven growth and progress at Thrifty and has been a valued partner to the fleet and leasing industry.
She was part of Lilies, the Ladies in Leasing, helping to support the growth of other women in the industry.
But her support does not just extend to women; she is generous with her time and countless people credit her with helping to develop their careers in the industry.
Wellbeing Award (sponsored by Cox Automotive)
A record number of companies entered the Fleet News Wellbeing Award this year, underlining just how important wellbeing and mental health is taken at senior levels within the fleet and leasing industry.
The award, which was introduced two years ago in memory of James Davis, customer insight director at Cox Automotive, recognises a company that has created a culture of emotional, mental, social and physical wellbeing and support for its employees.
This year, Reflex Vehicle Hire & SG Fleet UK were recognised as joint winners of the Wellbeing Award, which is sponsored by Cox Automotive.
Customer service awards: Rising Star
Fleet News champions the contract hire and leasing staff who are offering outstanding customer service by recognising and celebrating their achievements at the FN50 dinner.
Rising star of the year is Lianna Saywell (pictured above with Fleet News' editor Stephen Briers), operations team leader at ALD Automotive/LeasePlan, with Keely Morris, customer success manager and SG Fleet UK, and Emily Fletcher, contract management team leader, Tusker, highly commended.
Saywell has been promoted twice in a little over two years.
Her manager says she has “made a massive difference to thousands of customers and Advisors. Her positivity is infectious, she’s credible yet humble. Her talent appears inexhaustive, and she makes her delivery look almost effortless”.
Customer service awards: individual star
The winner of the individual Customer Service Award is Ellie Francis, Fleet Sales Support Executive, Volkswagen Financial Services Fleet, (pictued above with Fleet News' editor Stephen Briers) while four individuals were highly commended:
- Jacqui Probets, account manager, Arval UK
- Claire Woodward, senior account manager, Arval UK
- Samantha Beaumont, senior customer service advisor, Lex Autolease
- Ian Birch, strategic account manager, SG Fleet UK.
Francis was described by one customer as a “shining star for your business”.
Her manager called her work “outstanding” and said she “keeps the customer at the heart of everything she does.
“In sharing her knowledge and expertise, she drives others in the team to continue to deliver a high level of customer service and ensure a positive customer journey and experience”.
Customer service awards: team
The final customer service award, for team of the year, went to the Consumer Team at SG Fleet UK (pictured above with Fleet News' editor Stephen Briers).
Two teams were highly commended teams:
- The Customer Account Development and Mobility Services Sales Team at Alphabet
- The Large Corporate and International Account Team at Arval UK.
Described by one customer as “simply fantastic”, the SG Fleet Consumer Team is responsible for supporting salary sacrifice clients and drivers.
The customer said: “They are one of our best suppliers and I regularly score them 10 out of 10 at our review meetings.
"They have a culture of wanting to help; they go the extra mile for our business and our colleagues.”
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Bauer B2B group editor Stephen Briers has been an automotive business journalist since 1995. He has been editor of Fleet News since 2009 and before that was editor of Automotive Management for almost seven years. He now oversees both brands, as well as RAIL magazine.
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