In our Meet the Experts series, we introduce you to key members of the Interleasing team and shine a spotlight on their expertise.
In this instalment, we talk to Thomas Hayes who, with almost 15 years’ experience in fleet, tyres and vehicle servicing networks, was a natural fit for Interleasing when he joined the team as a Business Development Manager early in 2020.
Thanks for your time, Thomas. What do you do in your role and what excites you about it?
Forming relationships with genuine people to help solve their fleet challenges. You just never know whom you are talking to and what interesting stories they have to share.
What are some of the challenges that you help solve for clients?
Taking the time to listen, analyse and plan fleet solutions requires diligence that is thoroughly worthwhile when you reach the end of the journey. In most cases, the pain points presented by an organisation’s fleet represent underlying concerns. The truth may often be found in diagnosing non-traditional challenges such as adverse driver behaviour or replacing ageing vehicles which are exposed to increased maintenance costs. Change management has also become a topical issue for operational staff in the COVID-impacted world.
What do you see as the biggest opportunity for clients that you work with?
The ability to look at your fleet through the eyes of your stakeholders to make more informed decisions – from vehicle selection to exemption reporting for the concerned parties within the client’s organisation. Another is to incorporate benchmarking analysis that provides realistic fleet targets relative to a client’s industry and allows identification of smarter fleet parameters.
What are the future trends that you think clients need to be aware of?
Measuring risk within fleets; deciding on the best route to reduce your carbon foot print; using AI (Artificial Intelligence) to support fleet operations such as predictive trip-mapping; and keeping up with the rapid change in vehicle technology.
In your opinion, what makes Interleasing different?
The culture. Having spent time with other fleet management operations as both an employee and supplier, a stand-out at Interleasing – and the whole McMillan Shakespeare Group – is our positive and progressive culture. Taking responsibility for one’s actions and seeking to assist your fellow workmate never gets boring. This progressive culture allows us to manage and improve our clients’ fleet operations within efficient time frames and with pride.
What was your first job?
Part-time chef and pathology laboratory technician in Brisbane.
Other resources
EV transition Q&A with Adam Morrison, Interleasing Managing Director
