Arval plans profits in its corporate and retail businesses thanks to new appointments

Having assembled an expert commercial leadership team, Arval continues to execute its growth plans for the corporate and retail sectors.

Elliott Woodhead, UK retail director at Arval

The fleet and leasing specialist has appointed Elliott Woodhead as retail director, complementing the Arval UK executive team, which also welcomed Mike Curtis as corporate sales director in July 2023.

Woodhead will lead the fleet and leasing specialist’s retail sales team, which provides specialist support to key partners including brokers, dealers, white label brands, direct customers and non-automotive partner channels.

His appointment will help drive growth and uptake of products such as Arval Re-Lease – the company’s used vehicle offering – as well as the launch and offering of the Arval Ignition remuneration sacrifice deal through brokers and dealers in this business area.

The company says it is also working on several exciting new retail partnerships that will be announced soon.

Joining Arval in 1994, Woodhead held a number of key roles in IT, product development and sales in the UK. Most recently, he held an international role as Director of Group Remarketing at the company’s headquarters in Paris, where he has worked for the past four years.

Elliott said: “Retail is our core business channel, covering approximately 107,000 vehicles in the UK. An experienced team represents both a significant investment and a very promising opportunity for further development, despite the current demanding market environment. I am thrilled to lead an extremely capable team that has enabled significant growth and progress in recent years, including winning several industry awards.”

Director of Corporate Sales Mike Curtis has already spearheaded the development

Mike Curtis leads the company’s commercial sales efforts for customers with fleets of 50 or more vehicles. He joined Arval UK in 2003 and held various remarketing and trade management positions before moving to international roles in 2014, initially as Managing Director of Arval India and then Managing Director of Arval Denmark.

Returning to the UK in July 2023, he has already been at the forefront of growth in the corporate segment, with the fleet growing by 9.4% over the last 12 months on the back of new business successes.

Curtis said: “As we move into a world of new mobility solutions, including electric cargo bikes, car sharing and payment solutions for electric vehicle charging, it is likely that business leasing will remain an innovative channel that will support long-term growth Arval company.

Arval UK managing director Lakshmi Moorthy added: “Both Elliott and Mike have a wealth of experience, both in the UK market, having previously worked extensively here and now bring a valuable leasing perspective to global markets. Their knowledge and capabilities will be extremely valuable to us in the further development of our company. I’m delighted to welcome them to our UK leadership team.

“I would also like to thank Mike for providing outstanding interim leadership support to our retail channel, in addition to his primary role leading the corporate segment prior to Elliott’s appointment.”