Dawson has over 15 years’ experience of the company, joining in 1997 as commercial director before being appointed sales director in 2005.

He will report into to ALD International’s deputy CEO, Tim Albertsen, based in Paris.

Mike Masterson, CEO of ALD International, commented: ‘We were very keen to make an internal appointment, not just to recognise the success of what the current team had already achieved, but because we felt Mel and the rest of the board had the right level of skill and experience to maintain our growing presence in the fleet market. The expertise they have – in terms of the commercial, operational and financial aspects of the business – provides an ideal platform for ALD to be a leader in the UK contract hire industry.’

The company, the UK’s fifth largest vehicle leasing and fleet management provider, has seen its fleet size has grow organically by over 35,000 vehicles in the last three years, much of it as a result of ALD’s TCO consultancy service and ProFleet2 telematics offering.

Although ALD is keen to emphasise that its key message is “business as usual”, the company will also be launching a number of customer service initiatives in 2013, including new products and services that underline its commitment to being the industry’s benchmark service provider.

Mel Dawson reaffirmed that looking after the needs of ALD’s existing customers was key to the company’s future success.

He commented: ‘Without a doubt, customer service is our number one priority and, whilst we know the vast majority of our customers appreciate what we do for them, it’s important that we do not just simply deliver a quality service but that our customers truly understand the difference we can make and the value of what we are offering.

‘Whilst we have seen huge new business growth in recent years, it is from looking after our existing customer needs where I see our biggest opportunity going forward. Looking ahead, I am confident that we will continue to give our customers what they need to achieve their goals, by offering innovative fleet management solutions with competitive and sustainable pricing.’

Besides his UK responsibilities, Dawson will also be part of the international G8 Management team of ALD International, a team comprising of the group’s largest operating subsidiaries and responsible for developing operational and commercial strategy across Europe.