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The four recipients of the 2019 International Asset Finance Network Hall of Fame Awards have been praised for their contribution to the industry.

At the annual ceremony in London, recipients were honoured in four categories, covering fleet finance, equipment finance, retail auto finance and technology.

The awards were presented by Najeed Ghauri, chairman and chief executive officer of NETSOL Technologies.

The Retail Auto Finance Hall of Fame Award was presented to Georg Bauer (pictured below right), chairman and co-founder of Fair.com, the pioneering car-as-a-service company.

bauer georg hall of fame

He was recognised for his work in developing a revolutionary new concept in the auto finance market and for his long-term contribution to the industry in previous senior roles, including as chief executive officer of global financial services at BMW and as financial services leader, EU and APAC, for Tesla.

Last year, Fair raised $385 million in its latest funding round, led by SoftBank, which will enable global expansion of its vehicle subscription business.

SoftBank also has investments in a number of disruptive businesses in the automotive sector, including global ride-hailing giant Uber, China’s Didi Chuxing and south-east Asia’s biggest ride-hailing firm Grab.

As part of the investment, funds will be used to expand a partnership Fair has with Uber in the US to provide cars to users who want to join its national network of drivers.

The Fair service is based on a smartphone app, which allows drivers to electronically subscribe to cars for their short or long-term needs. When vehicles are no longer needed, they can be handed back without any penalties.

The recipient of the Fleet Finance Hall of Fame Award was Professor Colin Tourick (pictured below right), industry expert, author and professor of automotive management at the University of Buckingham Business School, who is also a co-founder of the International Asset Finance Network.

Tourick colin hall of fame

He received warm praise for his long-term contribution to the fleet industry, including numerous publications.

The winner’s citation said: “In addition to all of his business achievements in the corporate world and as a consultant, he has worked tirelessly for key trade associations and has written at least 250 articles on leasing and fleet management. He has also written 15 asset finance and fleet management books and in recent years helped launch Europe’s largest and most successful series of asset finance conferences and awards.”

The Equipment Finance Hall of Fame Award went to Carmen Ene (pictured below right), chief executive officer of 3 Step IT, for her business development work and raising the profile of the circular economy.

Ene carmen hall of fame

Her commendation highlighted her role in “taking the business on a transformative journey”.

It added: “In the past two years, she has delivered revenue growth two to three times faster than rivals and also improved productivity. She is also a regular visionary speaker at conferences.”

Most recently, 3 Step IT announced a European strategic alliance with BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions to offer technology leasing solutions and lifecycle management that will drive further growth in the circular economy.

The Technology Hall of Fame Award was presented to Martin Drake (pictured below left), managing director of Drive Software Solutions.

drake martin hall of fame

After a management buy-out, he expanded the business from supplying the first Oracle-based public sector fleet management solutions to entering the world of automotive finance.

Along with Simon West-Oliver, they launched the Drive software platform in 1995 to provide the first fully-integrated solution for any organisation offering leasing and fleet management, with customers now including leading companies such as Arval, TCH and Sandicliffe Motor Contracts.

The business has continued to innovate and recently launched a Software-as-a-Service solution called ODO, which provides brokers, fleet management providers and key suppliers with an effective route to the SME market.

West-Oliver said: “Martin is an automotive finance IT luminary. His expertise is in high demand as a strategic advisor to the fleet sector.”

International Asset Finance Network Hall of Fame Award Winners 2019

  • Retail Auto Finance Hall of Fame Award – Georg Bauer, Fair.com
  • Fleet Finance Hall of Fame Award – Professor Colin Tourick, University of Buckingham Business School
  • Equipment Finance Hall of Fame Award – Carmen Ene, 3 Step IT
  • Technology Hall of Fame Award – Martin Drake, Drive Software Solutions

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