2019 was a significant milestone for Business Lease, which is owned by the AutoBinck group. At the beginning of the year, the company announced a joint venture with Terberg Leasing. However, this only concerned the Dutch branch. This fact means that Business Lease has become a player that operates purely in Central and Eastern Europe. The logical step was to move the company's headquarters from the Netherlands to Prague. In this context, there were also personnel changes. After many years at the head of the Czech branch, Elias Drakopoulos took over the management of the Business Lease group for Central and Eastern Europe. How does he perceive the market situation? And what are his plans for the group in the future?
Looking back over the past twenty years, operational leasing penetration has been on an upward trajectory in these markets. With overall fleet vehicle sales expected to remain stable or grow slightly, we expect operational leasing opportunities to continue to grow.
We recognize the growing momentum towards electrification and will continue to support our clients in this transition. For 2025, our strategy focuses on offering our comprehensive EV-Ecosystem solution. This is specifically designed to more effectively implement electric vehicles for our clients, especially small and medium-sized enterprises. The EV-Ecosystem therefore offers comprehensive support to make the transition to electric vehicles as smooth as possible. This includes everything from helping clients choose the right electric vehicles for their fleet to ensuring the necessary charging infrastructure at the office and at home. We also facilitate access to an extensive public charging network and ensure that our clients’ fleets remain functional and efficient, no matter where they are located.
In addition, we have developed cost management tools that are essential for transparency and operational efficiency. Effective control of fleet costs is, after all, a priority. We also strive to maximize available subsidies and incentives to make fleet electrification not only environmentally friendly but also financially feasible. By having Business Lease serve as a single “central” point of contact, we simplify the entire electrification process and eliminate the hassle of dealing with multiple subcontractors. This approach can not only differentiate us from our competitors, but also make us a trusted partner on our clients’ journey to sustainability.
We recently completed a dual materiality assessment, which involved both our internal and external stakeholders. This process is essential in preparing for the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which will strengthen sustainability disclosure and ensure we are compliant with broader regulatory standards.
Another major initiative is our GoBetter program. We recognize that transitioning to a fully electric fleet may not be immediately feasible for all of our clients. That’s why we’re focused on providing solutions that can help them reduce their environmental impact immediately, without waiting for full electrification.
GoBetter offers immediate solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of our clients’ fleets by combining three distinct components – First, we conduct a thorough analysis of the current fleet to understand the emissions profile; second, we provide driver training options on fuel-efficient driving or offer a telematics solution for real-time feedback on driving behavior, which can significantly improve fuel efficiency; and third, we support clients in offsetting any remaining emissions with carbon credits. This approach allows businesses to take tangible steps towards sustainability today while preparing for a longer-term transition to electric vehicles.
In addition, we join external rating agencies such as EcoVadis and CDP. By participating in these frameworks, we are responsible for maintaining high environmental standards and remain transparent about our impact. With these initiatives and the support of AutoBinck, we are not just making promises. We are implementing concrete steps that will help us and our clients move towards a more sustainable future.
It is a significantly more advanced internal system that offers our customers several key innovations. All improvements are designed to increase efficiency, simplify processes and provide our clients with a smoother and more user-friendly environment. Key improvements include a faster and simpler process for approving estimates. The system will automatically generate a draft contract immediately after costing, which clients can sign immediately, thus speeding up the entire administrative process.
Another advantage is invoice consolidation. Clients with multiple accounts will benefit from a reduction in the number of invoices issued, which will simplify invoicing and payment procedures. The client portal has also been improved. We have added new features to the “Insurance Claims Reporting” section, including the ability to upload additional documents when reporting an incident, which simplifies use and functionality. In addition, thanks to the full integration of DOCUSIGN, we now offer faster order processing and a more efficient document flow thanks to the acceptance of secure electronic signatures and the exchange of digital documents.
‍Our corporate vision at Business Lease is to be the most customer-centric mobility management company. This commitment drives us to constantly evaluate how our customers perceive our services and products. To achieve this, we conduct regular feedback surveys targeting two key customer groups – decision makers and drivers. This insight is essential to help us evaluate and, most importantly, improve the customer experience. Over the years, we have implemented several new initiatives based on customer feedback. As a result, we have seen our Net Promoter Score increase to 43, a 7% improvement compared to last year.
‍With the recent wave of consolidation in the industry, we are seeing the market players split into two groups. The first are larger entities focused on economies of scale. Their services and offerings are increasingly similar, often with little or no differentiation for clients to make a decision. The second group of compaies tend to be smaller, more agile and more focused on client requirements. There is room for both groups in the market as they address different segments with different needs. Our strategy will continue to focus on providing solutions to companies with individual needs.
