Rob Allen of Hitachi Capital Commercial Vehicle Solutions, Rick Barker from SHB and Marlene Stevenson of Arnold Clark picked up their awards in front of 900 industry colleagues at the association’s ‘Big Event’ in the London Hilton on Park Lane on 5 March.

Marlene Stevenson is branch manager of Glasgow South Arnold Clark. Having started at Arnold Clark in 1991 as a receptionist, Stevenson now manages a team of 24 and a fleet of around 450 vehicles. The BVRLA judges were impressed with her singular determination to investigate a fraud that had the potential to seriously impact our sector. They commended her for her determination to protect not only her own company’s vehicle assets, but those of her local competitors as well. 

Rob Allen from Hitachi Capital Commercial Vehicle Solutions has been recognised for his commitment, professionalism and enthusiasm for his role. Allen has been integral to the success of a recent tri-partite electric van initiative between Hitachi, Nissan and a major services and utilities company. Not only has he helped the client achieve operational efficiencies and significant reductions in CO2 emissions, he has also embedded a largely new team following a relocation of operational activities. 

Since joining SHB in 2011, Rick Barker has risen from being a vehicle mechanic to assistant operations manager in Romsey. In addition to those duties, he has played an essential role as interim workshop manager for one of the company’s busiest sites, in Heathrow. His day-to-day tasks are crucial in ensuring all vehicles and equipment are maintained to standard and the out-of-hours nature of the role has seen him having to stay away from home during the week.

BVRLA chief executive Gerry Keaney said: “Our Industry Hero awards recognise rental and leasing industry staff who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Whether it is tackling fraud, pioneering the use of electric vehicles or holding down two jobs at the same time, our heroes demonstrate the breadth of talent and dedication to service within our industry. Each of our award winners is a tribute to the sector.”