DRIVE Software Solutions, a leading provider of fleet management platforms to the electric vehicle ecosystem, have announced the appointment of Joanne Machin as chief executive officer (CEO).
This follows senior roles senior roles at Inchcape, GE Capital, Lex Vehicle Leasing and LeasePlan. Joanne brings considerable experience in vehicle leasing, procurement and team building with her to DRIVE.
A leasing and procurement specialist with more than twenty years of experience in senior roles across the industry, Joanne takes the helm of DRIVE as CEO as the electric vehicle (EV) industry is in hyper growth mode.
Joanne’s considerable and relevant experience of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) fleet management ecosystem will be of immediate use to DRIVE. For example, during her time at LeasePlan, which was sold by Volkswagen to TDR Capital for $4.0 billion in 2016, Joanne led global sales and marketing in 33 jurisdictions for five years.
Global companies are actively planning for the sustainable transition from internal combustion engines (ICEs) to zero-emissions electric vehicles. This transition places demands on fleet managers, car rental and car sharing platforms, OEMs, charging networks, brokers and dealers and drivers themselves which are growing and becoming more complicated.
DRIVE are well-positioned in the electric vehicle ecosystem thanks to the installed base that it has built, its fleet management expertise, and the market’s requirement for an integrated dashboard providing the data that will enable fleet financing, driver performance optimisation and event management.
Since November 2019 when VIVA Investment Partners AG acquired DRIVE, the company has secured major contracts, improved the management team with leading technology executives and expanded into the EU. It has attracted investment from Capital Innovators in the UK, a leading technology venture capital fund, as well as from John Porter and other technology investors.
Julie Meyer, DRIVE CEO of VIP and board director, said: “It is a coup for DRIVE to attract the talent of Jo Machin. She will ensure that DRIVE becomes a strategic asset for the EV ecosystem.”
Joanne Machin, DRIVE CEO, said: “I have spent much of my career in automotive leasing. It is an industry which has developed considerably in that time.
“As I join DRIVE, my commitment to the industry remains, not least in leading a company which has such a contribution to make as automotive leasing evolves further.
“There is work to be done but I am intent that DRIVE will play a pivotal role in the industry’s next stage, as we all move from ownership to usership.”
