In his keynote speech to more than 130 customers and supplier partners attending Lombard’s recent Fleet Solutions event at RBS Williams F1 conference centre, Mr Boyle confirmed there is evidence that economic recovery is indeed underway, but emphasised that it was important to “expect the unexpected” and not give way to complacency.

Mr Boyle shared the stage at the Lombard event with other speakers from the fleet and finance industries, including Professor Colin Tourick; Paul Nash, head of Asset Finance and Leasing at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Sarah Dopson from The AA. Issues discussed included salary sacrifice, best practice in structuring fleet policy, and the question of whether "fleet excellence" is achievable. 

Lombard has said that it will look to run similar events in the future to provide firms with an insight into developments in the fleet sector.

Peter Crabtree, head of strategic accounts, Lombard, said: 'Networking at industry events is a vital way for those in the fleet industry to share expertise and knowledge of what is a complex and ever-changing sector. It was a great privilege for us to have the opportunity to present such a prestigious line-up of speakers and feedback from our customers indicates how much they appreciated the valuable insight from key professionals. The kind of event reinforces our strength as a consultative provider in the market and we are planning to hold similar customer-focused events in the future.'