In the second Leasing Life Power 50, the influential figures of the industry are drawn from all sectors and disciplines of the market, although once again Western Europe leads the class. Grant Collinson and Mike Cobb look at who sits at European leasing’s top table.
Once again Leasing Life asked its readers to nominate who they rated as the most influential people in the European leasing industry and the result is the second Power 50 of leasing’s great and good.
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The response this year has been strong and the list of those responsible for the shape of the market and with the ability to drive change within it has 21 new entrants from last year.
As with last year’s list, the Western European firms have a strong showing with French, Dutch, German and UK industry representatives making up the majority of the list.
The small Eastern presence in last year’s list has not been repeated in 2013 with one nominator suggesting the surge in Russian influence on the European market predicted last year had not materialised.
The European leaders of largely US-based captives also come well represented while, despite the significant size of the market, only two people on the list work directly in the fleet leasing market.
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By GlobalDataThere are eight places taken by consultants to the industry compared to four last year. Trade organisations are also well represented with eight places made up of Leaseurope staff, member representatives and board members. Several of the top 50 are governors and fellows from the Leasing Foundation in addition to their main positions.
There are two positions taken up by software providers and just one filled by an industry regulator.
Last year’s list highlighted the lack of diversity at the top of European leasing and, despite the issue of gender diversity coming under the spotlight in 2013, this year’s list also has just 10% female representation.
The 2013 top 50 was compiled entirely from nominations and limited to 50 by a process of elimination undertaken by the Leasing Life editorial team. Inclusion was based on the number of nominations, analysis of the reasons given and examination of each nominee’s influence on European leasing. Once again, no ranking has been imposed beyond the top 50.
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Tim Albertsen New to the Power 50, Albertsen has been part of the leadership of ALD International, the leasing and fleet management arm of Société Générale, for 15 years. He has been instrumental in growing ALD’s leasing business in the Nordic countries. Beyond his daily responsibilities Albertsen is active in finding new ways to develop the fleet industry. |
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Jonathan Andrew As chief executive of Siemens Financial Services, Andrew has led one the most successful global leasing firms for seven years and has long been an active voice within the industry. Described by one nominator has having "low-key but exceptional leadership skills", he has significantly grown the SFS business and led its expansion into new markets. |
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George Ashworth Ashworth has been active in European leasing for more than 20 years, most recently as managing director of asset finance at UK bank Aldermore. Ashworth led the business from its inception in 2010 until July 2013 during which time he lent more than 450m in asset finance and was recognised by inclusion in the UK government’s SME credit scheme. Ashworth also sits on the Leaseurope board. |
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Paul Bartley Bartley helped to set up Close Brothers’ mid-ticket leasing arm in 2007 and has been active in leasing finance since the early 80s. He has held several senior positions in the industry including sales director at ING Lease and European business development director with CIT Group. Bartley is also a founding fellow of the Leasing Foundation. |
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John Bennett Bennett retired from his last leadership role in 2012 and moved into consultancy meaning his presence is still felt among the movers and shakers of European leasing. In more than 30 years in the industry, Bennett has built up a reputation as a man who can influence and shape the industry, heading no less than five leasing firms over that period and twice serving as Leaseurope chairman. |
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Patrick Beselaere Beselaere has been the global head of ING Lease since early 2012 and led the company through the implementation of its dramatic realignment strategy which saw it exit five markets last year, including the highly profitable UK operation. ING Lease’s progress and how Beselaere steers the company through this new period will have a significant effect on the European industry. |
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Chris Boobyer Boobyer is a senior partner at consultancy firm Invigors where he applies more than 30 years’ leasing industry experience. Boobyer has written books on the industry, held various board-level positions and is a former chair of asset finance at the UK’s Finance & Leasing Association. Boobyer is a regular speaker on the asset finance conference circuit and works closely with the Leaseurope board. |
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Jean Louis Bouchard Bouchard has been involved in IT finance since the 70s. His first firm, ECS, was sold to Société Générale after a period of rapid expansion. He then turned his attention to finance outside France with Econocom before buying back ECS and going global. Bouchard has been lauded for his innovative approach to IT finance which has influenced the wider market. |
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Phillippe Carayol Carayol hasn’t had an easy time of it in his two years at the top of the French bank’s leasing division, as the capital available to the division has shrunk. Despite this, Crédit Agricole Leasing & Factoring has managed to maintain its top ten position in Europe largely thanks to consistent profitability and lending levels, despite the cuts, under Carayol’s leadership. |
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Didier Chappet As the head of Europe’s second-largest asset finance business since 2010, Chappet has a great deal of influence on the way the finance industry moves ahead. In addition to taking BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions to the very top of the industry, Chappet has overseen streamlining of the operations and increased the profitability of the business. |
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Cormac Costelloe Costelloe was chosen by the US technology company Dell to head its European financial services business in early 2011. He was hired from CIT Vendor Finance after Dell acquired the European assets of Dell Financial Services. Prior to DFS and CIT, Costelloe worked in senior positions throughout the credit businesses of ING Barings, Danske and the captive finance division of Hewlett Packard. |
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Vahid Daemi With 15 years behind him at the top of Europe’s largest fleet leasing company, Daemi has considerable clout in his sector. Currently the company’s chief executive and before that a board member for eight years he has been part of the business as it has grown to be one of the top ten European lease companies. In addition, Daemi has been an active member of the trade organisation Leaseurope, and is currently a vice-chairman. |
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Andrew Denton Denton has an active role in the global leasing industry. Through the Leasing Foundation, the organisation he co-founded in 2012, he is working to address the major challenges facing the industry including developing talent and increasing awareness of leasing among the world’s businesses. In addition to his work for the industry in general, Denton is the COO of CHP Consulting and has helped lead the company to become a global force in the leasing market. |
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Marie-Christine Ducholet As head of Société Générale Equipment Finance, Ducholet oversees Europe’s |
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Carmen Ene Ene currently runs risk management for all IBM divisions but has vast experience of the leasing industry from her previous role as vice-president of IBM Global Financing for North Europe. She also ran IBM’s Italian finance arm and helped establish finance divisions in Eastern Europe and South Africa. Ene is also a governor of the Leasing Foundation. |
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Horst Fittler Fittler heads the leasing trade body in what is traditionally Europe’s most active market. With peers looking to Germany for indicators on where the leasing industry is going, he can have great influence on the market. Fittler was previously chief executive of Commerz Real Equipment Leasing and is co-author of a book on the industry. |
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Mike Francis With ING Lease’s departure from the UK, Investec, with Francis at the helm, gained a significant share of the broker-introduced market. Francis joined the South African bank in 2002 after a number of years working in the structured finance industry at companies such as ANZ Bank and Barclays. Francis has been running the asset finance business for six years and has overseen several acquisitions. |
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Jean-Francois Gervais Gervais’s position as deputy CEO of BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions only tells half the story of his stature in the industry. He is a published authority on the business and for 35 years has been responsible for both captive and direct |
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Patrick Gouin Gouin has been described as "a very sharp mind and a visionary" by one nominator. This reputation was recognised last year by Société Générale when he was appointed head of strategy at SGEF following four years as head of the lessor’s high-tech international division. Gouin is an active participant in the European leasing |
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Richard Guilbert A chartered accountant by training and with experience working for finance companies such as Dell Financial Services as a general manager and chief operating officer at CIT, Guilbert brings a breath of knowledge to his role as a consultant at Invigors and is in regular attendance at conferences and seminars across the industry. |
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Hans Hoogervorst As chairman of the IASB since 2011, Hoogervorst has overseen the negotiations on lease accounting convergence which, after heavy criticism from the leasing industry, led to a second Exposure Draft of the proposals which was published in May. How Hoogervorst’s board responds to further criticism from industry stakeholders will have a lasting impact on the leasing business. |
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Ian Isaac A member of Lombard’s executive committee, Isaac spent much of 2013 as interim managing director before returning to his position heading its business and commercial division. Since joining the company 25 year ago, Isaac has worked across various functions and helped Lombard’s parent Royal Bank of Scotland establish its US leasing business. |
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Nils Jaeger Jaeger’s role at John Deere Financial puts him in charge of finance in Europe, including the significant Russian market and the Middle East. Jaeger has worked at the US agricultural equipment manufacturer since 1997 and worked his way to the top of the captive arm by 2008. In recognition of his captive finance expertise, Jaeger was appointed to the Captive Forum board as vice-chairman early this year. |
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Patrick Jelly Jelly is one of the leading names in the manufacturer leasing market. This has been achieved not just through his time at the US communications technology firm’s finance arm, but in various senior positions around the captive and vendor finance industry. His role as a co-founder and president of the Captives Forum reinforces his reputation and influence in the industry. |
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Jan Kusters As head of European operations for one of the world’s biggest lessors, Kusters has significant market influence and the sudden departure of CEO Ronald Slaats earlier this year made his role even more important. Kusters joined DLL in 1999 after 12 years in the industry and has responsibility for areas such as change management and distribution. |
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Alan Leesmith As well as a director of IAA, Leesmith is also secretary of the Captives Forum and a governor of the Leasing Foundation. It is a measure of his influence and respect that he holds these positions as well as being in demand for his advice on capital financing, M&A and treasury matters throughout the industry. Leesmith is regularly in attendance at industry events around the globe. |
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Elliot Lennick As the newly appointed chairman of the Captives Forum, Lennick joins this list with an ability to influence the way captive finance firms operate over the remaining part of his two years in charge. Lennick also heads the international sales function of MAN Truck & Bus’s captive finance arm. This role makes him responsible for all MAN Finance’s activities outside Germany. |
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Elmar Lukas Despite the US giant’s decision to focus more on its industrial business, GE Capital remains a force in leasing and under Lukas the European division has consistently contributed strong profits to the group. He previously led GE Capital’s German operation before becoming EMEA chief in 2010. |
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Mary McNamara The former chief executive of UK lease funder Close Brothers Commercial Finance has held a number of senior industry positions over her 20-year career, including chief executive of GE Capital’s fleet business. She has long been a prominent figure in UK leasing and is chair of the Leasing Foundation’s board of governors. She also leads the organisation’s Women in Leasing programme, which aims to promotes gender diversity in the industry. |
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Jean-Marc Mignerey A former chairman of Leaseurope, Mignerey was instrumental in the growth of Société Générale Equipment Finance. He led the establishment of the lender’s vendor programme and also oversaw the French business’s integration with Deutsche Bank’s GEFA unit in 2011. Mignerey still sits on the SGEF board and is very active with Leaseurope. |
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Jacqueline Mills Mills is nominated for her work as director of asset finance and research at Leaseurope in Brussels. According to one respondent Mills "has done a great job in lobbying with the regulators to bring the voice and concerns of the finance industry." In addition to this role she leads the Leaseurope research team that seeks evidence to support the industry’s lobbying in Europe and across the world. |
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Tarun Mistry In addition to founding the leasing practice at the global accounting and advisory firm, Mistry co-founded the Leasing Foundation with Andrew Denton and Derek Soper. This, and his work in consultancy, led Mistry to be nominated. Prior to joining Grant Thornton in 2007, Mistry held board level finance positions across the industry including at Mercedes-Benz Financial Services. |
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Jürgen Mossakowski As chief executive of the technology finance specialist, Mossakowski has overseen a period of significant expansion, achieving this through global growth and acquisition. He joined Meridian (now CHG-Meridian) in 1987 and rose rapidly to become a managing director at the merged business by 1992. In 1997 he was appointed chief executive and hasn’t looked back. |
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Kai Ostermann As chair of the leasing arm of Germany’s regional banking network, Ostermann oversees a lending capability the envy of many of its peers. He has been in the asset finance business since the early 90s and at the most senior levels of the business for almost 10 years, having joined the board of Deutsche Anlagen-Leasing in 2004, before moving up to chairman of parent company Deutsche Leasing in 2010. |
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Andrew Page Page is a governor of the Leasing Foundation and a co-founder of asset finance technology firm CHP Consulting holding the chief |
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Robert Peterson For the second year Peterson has been nominated both for his role defining the strategic direction of the Dutch banking group’s leasing arm and for his role as president of the International Finance & Leasing Association. In the latter role, he has been active in |
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Carol Roberts A nine year veteran of Bibby Leasing, Roberts career actually goes back much further. Having held senior leadership positions at a variety of firms in her time, including managing director of GE Capital’s European asset finance business, Roberts 
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