ARI Fleet UK has appointed Lee Smylie as its new corporate business development manager covering the Central territory.

Lee Smylie, ARI Fleet UK’s corporate business development manager for the Central region

The role will see Smylie develop opportunities with corporate clients looking to make efficiency savings within their fleet through both the finance and fleet management solutions that ARI offers. The work will draw on his 20 years’ experience in finance, covering both commercial and operational roles.

“I’m excited to be joining ARI Fleet UK at a time of strategic growth. ARI has a common objective throughout the business to continue the success of recent years,” said Smylie.

“Businesses are always looking for different ways to become as efficient as possible, no more so than in the last couple of years. The ARI products and services, supported by the in-depth knowledge and experience through the business, is a fantastic proposition to support our customer base to achieve their results.

Smylie added that while 2022 would be a challenging market, with various issues such as Covid, Brexit recovery and vehicle and parts supply issues shaping fleet decisions, this would give ARI “an opportunity to help businesses inwardly review how they operate their fleets and work collaboratively towards identifying and executing an improved solution”.

Prior to ARI, Smylie spent eight years working at Volkswagen Financial Services (VWFS), latterly as business development manager covering the South East region for three years, and before that as pricing and planning manager. Prior to joining VWFS he worked in commercial finance functions across various industry sectors.

ARI Fleet UK’s sales director Rory Mackinnon said: “I am very excited about Lee’s appointment and how this will strengthen our presence in the fleet market. Lee comes with a great track record of supporting fleet users, working with them in a consultative manner to maximise their fleets’ return on investment.”