Leasedrive Velo Blog

Roddy Graham, Commercial Director

Life is not a dress rehearsal. It’s the real thing and you have to make the most of the opportunities presented to you and those that you create for yourself. And since the majority of our lives is spent working, it is only natural that we should seek to do something that we believe in and are passionate about. Whether you are a mid-wife or a fleet manager you should feel passionate about what you do. Otherwise, you should do something else. Life’s too short.

I am incredibly passionate about my job and the industry I work in. That’s why I have never contemplated driving off into the sunset and seeking a quieter life. I love cars, the automotive industry and the people that work in it. There is something about people working in the motor industry that differentiates them from employees in other sectors. I don’t know what it is but we talk the same talk and walk the same walk. Well, more or less. It’s probably our enthusiasm for all things mechanical, which have at least two wheels but preferably four. And that collective enthusiasm I could feel last week at the BMW Mini Plant at Cowley where the Institute of Car Fleet Management (ICFM) held its annual members’ national conference and workshop.

It was the 17th such event and the last two have moved away from the traditional conference format. Last year, due to the prevailing economic recession, we decided to hold a free training workshop instead to help members in their drive out of the tough business climate. This year, the ICFM Council decided to opt for a blend of both. A traditional conference programme interspersed with some practical breakout training workshops.

If the initial feedback is anything to go by, I believe it worked well and what was especially evident throughout the programme was our attendees’ passion for our industry. And it was also a great occasion at which to recognise the achievements of others – the 20 recipients of the BVRLA Professional Fleet Consultants Award, the 12 recipients of the Introductory Certificate in Car Fleet Management, the 16 recipients of the Certificate in Car Fleet Management and the seven recipients of the Diploma in Car Fleet Management not to mention the ten inducted as Fellows of the ICFM.

Besides excellent outputs from our two workshop sessions, we benefited from three different stimulating talks from Sara Sillars OBE, executive chair of the Institute of the Motor Industry, Adrian Walsh, secretary and director at RoadSafe, and Kevin Gaskell, CEO of Drive Development.

Adrian gave us a unique insight into the work of RoadSafe and how the fleet industry can contribute to saving lives, most notably by specifying ESC as standard equipment while Kevin rounded off the day with a highly motivational talk on driving success through an organisation of any size, based on his experiences of turning around the fortunes of Porsche GB and his walks to the North and South Poles.

Earlier, Sara Sillars had kick-started the day by giving attendees an insight into the future UK Vocational Qualifications Reform Programme (UK VQRP). The programme, somewhat of a mouthful, will aim to allow employees to acquire new skills’ qualifications ‘bit by bit’ and harmonise the different qualifications available.

More importantly, the programme will underpin Government’s declared ambition of ensuring that one in every two adults, as a minimum, raises their game by studying and passing a higher-level qualification to the one they held at the outset of their working life. It’s believed that is the only way of ensuring that our nation remains competitive in a global market.

In that regard, the ICFM qualifications are already in place, and are externally moderated and endorsed by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM), part of the City & Guilds Group. We are already ahead of the game in ensuring our sector is the most professional it can be.

The UK fleet industry is widely regarded as the most sophisticated in the world. There is no place for the ‘interested amateur.’ Those looking after fleet, whether in a full-time role or as part of a financial or HR remit, are responsible for controlling one of the most expensive organisational costs alongside estates, people and IT. They are also responsible for one of the most emotive elements of a total reward package. Unsurprisingly, therefore, those in charge should be professionals holding recognised qualifications. This is where the ICFM comes into play. It’s no secret that my declared ambition is to see every fleet-related job advertisement carry words along the lines of ‘relevant ICFM qualification a pre-requisite/preferred’.

Professionalism and passion go hand in hand. Passion was evident in our audience, among all our guest speakers and among our Council, who gave freely of their time to make the event the success that it was. It’s what makes our industry lead the world. And it’s why I’m a member of and chairman of the ICFM. I’m passionate about our profession.

Roddy Graham, Commercial Director

Highlight of my visit to the 2008 British International Motor Show was a sushi for lunch.

The whole experience was dire. For those not living to the east of London, the Excel exhibition halls are a nightmare to reach. However, I’m not about to go on about the hours it took to get there, it was the time spent there when I arrived which was worse.

I have heard that the future of the event is in question and it didn’t take more than a few minutes to see why. The visit to the one main hall was swiftly followed by one to the other opposite, and that was it as far as internal exhibits were concerned.

A quick glance down the list of exhibitors revealed a lack of full manufacturer presence. No BMW, no Mitsubishi, no Porsche to name just a few. The heritage enclosure was the nearest followers of the Stuttgart marque could get to see one of their beloved models, in this case a yellow Carrera GT.

Events outside the halls abounded if you were so inclined to wait around for an ‘event’ to take place. However, by the time I had overcome the disappointment of what turned out to be a flying visit, a quick escape was the only thing on my mind.

Gone are the glory days of the grand shows at Earl’s Court. Many bemoaned the move to the NEC but our National Exhibition Centre was central, at the heart of the British automotive industry and proved a much better venue for showcasing world premieres, however rare they became.

I felt as if the whole of the 2008 show could have been shoe-horned into Halls 1 and 2 at the NEC, and those halls used to be just the preamble to what lay ahead in other equally vast halls.

Okay, the NEC was never going to rival the bi-annual Frankfurt or even Paris events. Nor did it quite have the cachet of Geneva, the smaller bijou event held each year at the beginning of March. But at least the NEC had a presence. For all its quality facilities, the Excel is far too small a venue to host an ‘international’ motor show.

No wonder so many manufacturers question the cost of maintaining a presence at a dying event. ‘Bums in seats’ is the name of the game and you can hardly blame a manufacturer if it prefers to host its own ‘by invitation’ event at a race circuit or proving ground.

If the trend these days is to have linked ‘activities’, then an exhibition venue surrounded by water is hardly the first place you would choose to host a motor show. The NEC has far more surrounding land to mount off-road and track activities.

Perhaps with the pending loss of the British Grand Prix, Silverstone should consider mounting a challenge to Excel. It is central, now has a good access road infrastructure, has different track layouts (both on and off-road) and its centre could host a major tented exhibition area. Now doesn’t that remind me of a certain fleet event held years ago…