Managing Directors' Interview
Some fields are mandatory
Philippe Noubel
"An environmentally friendly vehicle is also a rational economic choice."
Philippe Noubel, Member of the Board, Deputy Managing Director
What does Arval’s Corporate and Social Responsibility entail?
The ideal of sustainable development lies at the heart of our business. With a global leased fleet of nearly 670,000 vehicles, we cannot ignore our duty to environmental protection and road safety. At every level of our business we must adopt a way of working that is responsible both environmentally and socially. Indeed, this echoes the expectations of our customers who want to ally environmental friendliness with economic performance. It is also a request voiced by a growing number of our staff members as well as those of both our customers and our suppliers - citizens for whom CSR represents an important value. Incidentally, it is often these very members of our staff who work to raise awareness and foster initiatives in the field.
How do you reconcile the motor car with sustainable development?
We advise our customers in a multitude of areas: driver behaviour, fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emission reduction, efficient car usage, safety measures and prevention of accidents. In fact, by offering vehicles that pre-empt the requirements of anti-pollution legislation, we actually act as a catalyst in implementing public policy. Choosing a vehicle that is ahead of its time (more environmentally friendly than required by the current legislation) is a rational decision because its resale value on the second-hand market will remain high at the end of contract. We exert particular control upon the tax measures that influence used car resale values. Furthermore, we also act as an industry leader in that we associate ourselves early on with those research and development projects - such as noise reduction - which will later influence the standards that vehicles will have to respect.
What does the future hold?
Arval’s commitment to sustainable development is long-standing and will remain our guiding principle in the years to come since these issues are of serious concern to us all. For Arval, CSR is not only a question of the heart; it is a matter of “metier”. To ensure the longevity of our solutions, we must ensure that customers recognise the environmental and economic benefits. As such, the expectations of customers converge with Arval’s expertise in this area.
Thierry Lachaux
"As the environment becomes once again extremely competitive, the satisfaction of our customers and our market shares continue to increase across the globe"
Thierry Lachaux, Group Deputy Managing Director
How and where will Arval find growth?
There are two sources of growth. Firstly, increased penetration in countries located in the more mature markets such as Italy, Spain and the UK, where we experienced very strong growth in 2010. Secondly, the conversion of new customers to full service vehicle leasing in countries where it is still relatively minor but is showing record rates of growth, such as in Brazil, India, Slovakia and Turkey. The formula for success is the same in both cases - service quality and professionalism. It is in this way that Arval distinguishes itself from its local and international competitors.
What is the potential for expansion of Arval’s international network?
Arval can further strengthen its presence in Europe, in particular in the Nordic countries where we have decided to set up subsidiaries whereby, to date, we have been present only through partnerships. In those countries where we already have a direct presence, we will look to strengthen our position by selectively taking advantage of market opportunities. Recent examples of this approach are the acquisition of the full service vehicle leasing fleets of La Caixa in Spain and Commerz Real Mobilienleasing GmbH in Germany, and the partnership with these networks. We also intend to develop partnerships with vehicle manufacturers, similar to those we have already established in Spain and the UK . A final example would be the development of business through international groups to whom we bring a competitive and consistent product offering across all our countries. An offering supported by our particularly innovative and much appreciated global reporting tools.
How will Arval keep one step ahead of the competition?
In most cases, Arval has been among the first international vehicle leasing companies to set up in each of its markets. Over the years, therefore, we have acquired a wealth of experience in developing in new countries, an
asset we can capitalise on in order to offer a professional quality service as quickly as possible to all of our customers in each of the countries where we operate. Additionally, in the more mature markets, we believe that there remains excellent development potential for full service leasing among small and medium-sized enterprises where its penetration to date has generally been low. Offering solutions adapted to the needs of new full service vehicle leasing customers will provide us with opportunities to increase our presence among them, either directly or indirectly via partners’ networks such as those of the BNP Paribas Group or our external partners.