Arnault Leglaye, Arval: Increasing LatAm footprint
One of the current goals of international fleet leasing company Arval is to increase its footprint in Latin America, according to LatAm managing director Arnault Leglaye.
By collaborating with other companies in the region, the group is set on growing its customer base by helping fleet managers streamline operations, cut costs, among others, the executive told Global Fleet.
Could you tell me a little about Arval's main coverage area in Latin America and the key services it offers?
We provide consistent services and reporting throughout a considerable part of Latin America. We operate through Arval in Brazil, our recent JV Arval-Relsa in Chile and Peru, and RDA Renting for Argentina and Uruguay which is part of the Element-Arval Global Alliance.
Besides the usual services, we offer consolidated reporting. With the launch of "Integral Fleet", this is an offer that will soon be scalable, allowing customers to get consolidated fleet reports across multiple countries, whether their cars are directly owned or being leased from a company.
What are some of the challenges you have faced since your transition from Brazil managing director?
The main challenge remains the same but with a different perspective. The purpose of the group is to increase its LatAm footprint and to accomplish strong and profitable growth.
What's different today is that I also have subsidiary, partnership and JV management responsibilities which involve different shareholders. I also have new subjects to address such as smart mobility, LatAm electric vehicles (EV), and other new markets.
Could you highlight some of the accomplishments you have achieved?
The main accomplishing in the last 12 months is clearly the Arval-Relsa integration in Chile and Peru. Although we have transformed the company, we have been maintaining a good sales performance as well as client satisfaction.
Despite EV dominating headlines nowadays, Latin America is a bit behind in the EV race. Will EV kick off in the next few years or do you see fossil fuels or other alternatives remaining?
First of all, I'd like to say that we are ready to answer any questions a client may have and can provide EV if necessary, thanks to our global agreements with manufacturers.
For now, EV in Latin America is not very mature but we must note that neither Diesel nor CO2 emissions are regulated much in the region with the exception of large cities like Mexico City and São Paulo.
With that said, we believe that there is room for every type of energy source right now. Our clients just need to evaluate their needs properly and we are here to support them.
Could you give me an idea of the company's revenue performance this year, and what are you expecting for next year?
Unfortunately, we do not disclose revenue figures. What I can tell you is that our tri-country LatAm fleet (Brazil, Chile, Peru) is growing faster than the respective market and we are expecting a productive 2018.
