Recognising an individual fleet manager working in a UK private sector organisation that can demonstrate innovation and success in its approach to fleet decarbonisation.
2023 Winner: Stuart Murphy, Royal Mail
Stuart has been recognised for the highly successful rollout of the electric van programme and his efforts to explore and implement alternative fuel solutions. Royal Mail has the largest fleet in the UK with around 43,000 collection and delivery vans and 4,000 trucks. Operational emissions represent about 70% of Royal Mail Group’s total emissions profile. As head of fleet transformation, Stuart spearheaded the team that deployed the largest and quickest EV fleet transformation in the UK and significantly contributed to Royal Mail’s Steps to Zero strategy which includes the ambition to reach Net Zero emissions by 2040.
Stuart has secured funding and fully deployed over 5,000 EVs across 154 delivery and collection units, 22 of which are fully electrified. The rollout of these EVs have increased Royal Mail zero emission delivery routes to 21%, and over 14,000 drivers specifically trained in green EV driving methods. Stuart’s team have also explored other low carbon options, fully deploying 80 Bio-CNG fuelled HGVs saving over 5,000tCO2e in this financial year and six key HGV refuelling sites have transitioned to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) - a low carbon biofuel.
Commended
Aaron Powell, Speedy Asset Services
Chris Welch, Welch’s Transport
2022 Winner: Aaron Powell - Speedy Asset Services
Aaron Powell has completely changed the company car list from diesel vehicles to full EV and PHEV vehicles, as well as implementing the roll out of EV chargers at its locations. Speedy now has chargers at over 10 sites, with a plan to have them in every location by the end of 2023. Aaron has also brought in the industry first 27t full EV plant bodied vehicle which is based out of its new innovation centre in Milton Keynes and will operate on the HS2 contract. Aaron has also worked with the body conversion company to design the industry first chassis cab half box half curtain vehicle. This vehicle will allow Speedy to deliver its kit in all weathers dry and securely. The first vehicle is a mild hybrid diesel version but a version based on the Maxus E Delivery 9 chassis cab is also being worked on.
Highly Commended
Steve Openshaw - Fleet Manager, Eric Wright Group
S-J Mitchell - Senior Fleet Manager, OVO Energy
Alan Baker - Head of Fleet, Galliford Try
2021 Winner: James Hornsby - The Co-operative Group
Commended
Steve Openshaw - Eric Wright Group
Malcolm Oliver-White - Peel Ports
Steve Winter - British Gas
2020 Winner: Gary King - Sainsbury's & Argos
2019 Winner: Darren Smith – Heathrow Airport
The 2019 winning fleet manager has one of the most difficult jobs there is. With a vision to become a world-leader in emissions reduction, in their particular sector, this fleet manager not only looks after their own fleet and transport operation, but also oversees the suppliers that come in and out of their area too. He has already grown their own fleet of EVs from 4, with NO charging points, to 98 and over 100 charging points. With their own Low Emission Zone coming in, they are unique, and this guy is using an innovative approach to making the changes required to meet some deadlines that would put most people off the job completely.
Commended
Stuart Skingsley – Ocado
Simon King – Mitie
Kevin King – Hermes
2018 Winner: Mark Squires - Northern Gas Networks
Mark Squires has championed the Low/Zero emission agenda both internally within the business and externally through promoting and encouraging manufacturers and Infrastructure providers to accelerate progress across the Light Commercial Vehicle sector. This has included all areas of Low/Zero emission from persuading the business to purchase a Toyota Mirai Hydrogen car, a number of Compressed Natural Gas vans and working with key manufacturers (including LDV) in the development of full electric 3,500kg vehicles for the industry.
Commended
Alan Baker - Galliford Try
As Head of Fleet for Galliford Try, Alan Baker manages a central hire and service desk that are challenged with providing the right vehicle to cope with the varied requirements of a diverse Group of Companies. Operating a mixed fleet of 2,500 company cars, vans and specialist vehicles and using various procurement options to keep costs low for the company, Alan has maintained an attractive and tax efficient car choice list for employees. By using Whole Life Cost data to specify the most cost effective vehicles, he has been able to offer low C02 cars which help drivers reduce their BIK tax bill.
Kevin King - Hermes UK
Hermes is working towards reducing CO2 emissions by 50% by 2020. The addition of CNG and electric vehicles to the fleet will move the company closer to this target, and plans are already in place to grow the CNG fleet by introducing 70 rigid 12T CNG vehicles next year which will coincide with the opening of more CNG gas stations throughout 2019. Introducing changes in such a complex fleet requires senior management support, but Kevin King brought substantial experience with him when he joined Hermes in 2016 and the delivery firm looks to be in good hands fleet wise.
David Brown - Farmdrop
Fleet efficiency has always played a big part at Farmdrop. Its mission is to fix the food chain and delivering customers’ their ethically sourced, local food is integral to this. The fleet policy is relatively simple: go green & go efficient. In March, a telematics partnership with GEOTAB began. In just a few months, Farmdrop has seen double digit improvements in driver behaviour and fuel/energy use in its fleet of electric delivery vans. Farmdrop tries to raise awareness to its customers as much as possible, through social media engagement and even taking them to meet customers and to promotional events. Including the vans in the fabric of the brand has paid off.
Mark Chapman - Milk & More
Milk & More, Britain’s largest doorstep milk delivery service, introduced 200 zero emission electric StreetScooter milk floats to its fleet in May this year. The £6.5 million investment is part of a long term long-term strategy to rejuvenate the doorstep milk delivery service and secure the future of the much-loved British milkman and woman. Powered by rechargeable batteries, the StreetScooters have replaced diesel vehicles on urban roads. Together with Milk & More’s existing fleet of 200 electric milk floats, this means that a third of the fleet is now electric, making it one of the largest operators of electric vehicles in the country.
2017 Winner: Justin Laney - John Lewis Partnership
Justin’s career started with London Transport (Buses), having obtained a BEng at Liverpool University. He also worked at UPS for 20 years, managing fleets in EMEA as well as the UK. Justin now manages the John Lewis Partnership (JLP) fleet of 3000 commercial vehicles and 1500 cars. One of the main priorities is the further reduction of emissions in a fleet already recognised for its environmental credentials. Areas of focus are using biomethane in place of diesel in heavy trucks, high capacity vehicles, aerodynamics, and other methods based on good science and rigorous testing. Earlier this year, Waitrose introduced a fleet of Scania manufactured CNG trucks - the first in Europe to use twin 26-inch diameter carbon fibre fuel tanks which store gas at 250 bar of pressure to increase range from around 300 miles to as much as 500. The gas is known to be one of the most cost-effective and lowest carbon alternatives to diesel for HGVs and is about 40 per cent cheaper for fleet operators to use, with an up to 83 per cent reduction in carbon emissions, on a ‘well-to-wheel’ basis.
Commended
Darren Moon - Jersey Post Group
Fleet manager Darren Moon compiled Jersey Post’s road safety policy and promoted it to all drivers. This has helped to reduce total fleet cost by over £21,000. The diesel bill alone has been reduced by £22,000 over the last three years, mainly down to switching to cleaner alternative fuels, with accidents also falling year on year. Before potential new employees attend an interview, they have a 30-minute driving test with Darren which covers basic driving skills, awareness, speed and reversing. Over this past year, Darren has worked in partnership with a local electricity company in promoting the cost efficiency of EVs, their reliability and how they have benefitted major companies in Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Also in 2017, Jersey Post has replaced 30 diesel vans for fully electric versions, reducing 180,000 tonnes p.a. of CO2 emissions. In 2018, plans are underway to introduce larger fully electric vans to replace its diesel parcel vehicle fleet.
Darren Smith - Heathrow Airport
The environment plays a key part in Heathrow’s future and in recognition of this, Heathrow has a team of highly skilled and dedicated people working to improve noise and air quality through the management and delivery of certain work streams. One such work stream is led by Darren Smith, Heathrow’s Fleet Standards and Delivery Manager. Darren is responsible for all Heathrow’s owned and leased vehicles and associated contracts and is a leading figure in the implementation of Heathrow Airport's Ultra Low Emission Zone due to be in place in 2025. Working closely with many business units, Darren, along with his team, has transformed the Heathrow fleet from four Nissan Leafs in 2016 to approaching 55 full electric and plug in hybrids to date, which includes Nissan Leafs, ENV200s, BMW i3s, Renault Kangoos and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEVs.
2016 Winner: Alan Baker - Galliford Try
As fleet manager for Galliford Try, Alan Baker manages a central hire and service desk that is challenged with providing the right vehicle to copewith the varied requirements of a diverse Group of Companies from the tip of Cornwall to the Shetland Isles. Various procurement options keep environmental considerations at the forefront. By clearly demonstrating whole life costs to users, the average CO2 across the company car fleet of 2,400 vehicles is now just 101g/km today. Nearly 10 per cent of the fleet are plug-in hybrids, with 115 Mitsubishi Outlanders as well as an increasing number of Golf GTE’s and Tesla cars. These are suitable for staff who drive up 20,000 miles per year and can be charged at a number of company locations. Due to the dedicated focus of Alan, in recent years Galliford Try has already hit the target of at least five per cent of vehicles being electric by 2020.
Commended
Chris Beattie – WEGO Couriers
Chris has been at the vanguard of eco-friendly delivery solutions. Former company Pedal Express Ltd was using load carrying bicycles for last mile deliveries as early as 1998. Chris went on to successfully develop and expand the company, with clients such as Experian, Nottinghamshire County Council, Cartwright King and Boots coming on board. Pedal Express evolved into WEGO Couriers and became certified bio-hazard couriers as business expanded into the medical sector. WEGO currently serves clients in a diverse range of industries, including engineering, legal, retail, food, transport and the Arts. In July 2015, 58.82 per cent of deliveries were carbon neutral, with Chris actively seeking to source larger electric vehicles.
Darren Moon – Jersey Post
Apart from the economic benefits of reducing day-to-day operating costs, Darren has been responsible for the introduction of electric vehicles which have significantly reduced Jersey Post’s carbon footprint. The company currently operates fifteen electric vans (e-NV200s), 22 electric bicycles and a Renault ‘Twizzy’ (for in-town courier work). These were introduced without any government funding. Over the next four years the plan is to continue increasing this greener fleet profile in line with our annual renewal strategy, including an additional 15 electric vans in 2017.
Will Smith – Britvic
Will is responsible for ensuring Britvic’s fleet of 515 vehicles is as green as possible. The use of hybrid and electric vehicles is promoted in all company car literature, and for each level of employee ‘band’, Britvic provides two or three hybrid or electric alternatives, advertising the ‘whole life cost’ of a vehicle to the employee. This is championed by the PLC Executive team, whose company cars are all fully electric. Pool vehicles are plug-in hybrids, and trials are currently underway of hybrid and electric technology for the LCV fleet. Free charging points feature at Britvic’s offices and these are currently being rolling out to the manufacturing sites, including both ‘fast charge’ and regular charging solutions.
2015 Winner: Sam Clarke, Gnewt Cargo
This years’ winner has overseen the implementation of electric vehicles into their day to day business, right from the outset, and now oversees a fleet that handles up to 20,000 parcel deliveries every day. Their goal is to operate the largest fully-electric fleet anywhere in the world!
Commended
Colin Watson, Gentoo
Darren Smith, Heathrow