Top fleet performers head to Germany for awards ceremony

Volkswagen Fleet Services has recognised the achievements of its top-performing retailers and staff at a special Fleet Awards event held at the company’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. As five-times winner of the Fleet News Manufacturer of the Year award, Volkswagen puts its success in the company car market down to a combination of first class products and quality service provided by its staff.

According to Volkswagen’s Head of Fleet Services, Vincent Kinner, it’s the people serving the customers who really make a difference. That ethos was the driving force behind Volkswagen’s Fundamentally Fleet programme, which was launched in June 2005 with the aim of educating, motivating and recognising excellence within the retailer network.

Throughout 2008 participating candidates have undertaken a series of activities designed to measure their capabilities, skills and product knowledge. This year added a particular emphasis on business acumen with the current economic climate bringing financial issues keenly into focus.

Following the monthly challenges, the top 20 Fleet Sales Managers and 30 Fleet Sales Executives attended a development centre at Volkswagen Group UK’s National Learning Centre in Milton Keynes. Here they had to participate in various assessments which tested their knowledge and skills to the full.

All the Fundamentally Fleet participants who went through the development centre were then taken to Wolfsburg along with, for the first time, Fleet Sales Administrators and Brand Managers. They attended an awards event at the luxury Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Friday 12 December which not only recognised their performance but also incorporated a business meeting, at which the fleet department’s 2008 performance was reviewed and 2009 objectives outlined.

In the evening a dinner was held for 250 people, including the Director of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Chris Craft and Hans Andree, Head of Fleet Sales and RAC at Volkswagen AG. Vincent Kinner presided over the official awards ceremony, turning the spotlights on those individuals who had demonstrated their passion for Being Volkswagen, that is to say, ‘doing ordinary things extraordinarily well’.

Commenting on the event, Kinner said: ‘I’m delighted to be able to meet so many individuals who make such a difference to our business. The programme has exceeded all our expectations and seen the standards in customer services rise.’

Kinner added: ‘Attending this event continues to make me extremely proud of Fundamentally Fleet and what it has achieved. I am confident the skills developed through the programme will stand Volkswagen Fleet Services in good stead for 2009 and beyond.’