James Pestell appointed joint vice chair at the AFP
James Pestell, national sales manager at IFC Group, has been elected joint vice chair of the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP), sharing the role with Lorna McAtear, head of fleet at National Grid, and succeeding Matt Hammond. He was selected at the AFP's Annual General Meeting at the NEC, Birmingham, on 6 October, and says he wants to promote positive use of AI in fleets, the subject of the AFP white paper he created. The press release is published below as supplied.
James Pestell has been elected as the new joint vice chair of the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP).
He was selected at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting, held at the NEC, Birmingham on Tuesday 6th October.
National sales manager at IFC Group, James has more than two decades of experience in the fleet industry, and first joined the Association of Car Fleet Operators – a predecessor organisation of the AFP – in 2016.
James holds the vice chair title on a shared basis with Lorna McAtear, head of fleet at National Grid, and is the successor to Matt Hammond, who has held the position since 2023.
He said: “I’d like to thank the board for electing me to this role. It is a real honour. I strongly believe in our ability to support fleet managers as individuals and promote the fleet industry as a whole.
“Every day, I see firsthand the good work that is carried out by the organisation and am deeply pleased to have this opportunity to use my experience to help the AFP progress further over the coming years.”
Holder of a degree in information technology, James has an especial interest in fleet use of artificial intelligence (AI), having created the AFP’s recent AI white paper.
He said: “I believe there is huge potential for positive use of AI within fleets and it’s an area that I would very much like to promote while joint vice chair.”
Paul Hollick, chair at the AFP, said: “We’re delighted James has been elected to this role. He has been a very active AFP board member since its inception and proven himself a valuable asset to the organisation with his knowledge, support and enthusiasm.
“It’s also important that we acknowledge and thank Matt Hammond, now stepping down from the role. He has made a significant contribution to the AFP while deputy chair. We are grateful for his involvement and pleased to see him continue as a key member of our board”
About the Association of Fleet Professionals
The Association of Fleet Professionals is the organisation for fleet professionals.
It brings together ACFO, a non-profit making organisation representing the interests of businesses which operate cars and vans as part of their normal commercial activities; and ICFM (the Institute of Car Fleet Management), the UK’s only independent not-for-profit organisation dedicated to furthering the education, recognising the achievements, and advancing the profession of car and light commercial fleet management.
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