- Pictured above: Chris Rowthorn at the Fleet Alliance offices having just joined as an AR, and (r) 12 months later at the FIFA World Cup with Houston-domiciled old school and university friend, and at the same time he was on holiday managing to negotiate a salary sacrifice agreement, too, demonstrating what Chris calls “life/work integration”
Twelve months after joining the Fleet Alliance Appointed Representative programme, Chris Rowthorn reflects on a year of growth, opportunity and business development
IT seems a long time since Chris Rowthorn, a former director of MotoNovo Finance, turned his back on car finance. Instead, he embraced business car leasing with Fleet Alliance as one of its Appointed Representatives.
And yet here he was, a year later in Toronto, Canada, to watch the football World Cup while also pitching a salary sacrifice programme to a potential new client. “You need to take these opportunities in your stride,” he says. “It’s part of my life/work integration.”
Chris has enjoyed a successful first year at Fleet Alliance. As well as being a prolific commentator on new cars – his car reviews regularly appear on the Fleet Alliance website, such as this road test on BYD’s Sealion 7 (see above) – he has completed a variety of fleet deals and salary sacrifice implementations, including one for Cardiff-based aviation specialist Aermach.
Chris says the Fleet Alliance AR programme worked for him on several levels, particularly as he had identified business contract hire and salary sacrifice as growth areas.
But it was the Fleet Alliance pedigree and track record that really swung it; “they have a huge amount of credibility” says Chris.
And while the Global Vehicle Group acquisition of Fleet Alliance came once he was on the AR programme, Chris says it just reinforced his position that he had made the right decision, because it really enhanced the van proposition.
“Was it like I thought it would be?” questions Chris. “Well, nothing is ever the same on the inside! But what I have found to be true is the huge amount of support from head office. The tech is what I believed it to be – it’s the differentiator and enabler – and Fleet Alliance has been highly supportive of me to allow the business to progress in the way I envisaged, making reasonable adjustments to some of my suggestions. I was also able to lean on some of the more experienced ARs such as Jonathan Nolan and Sarah Bisset, who have been hugely supportive – they are a good sounding board and great to have as a peer group.”
A year of progress
The initial excitement of a new role as part of the Appointed Representative programme at Fleet Alliance can be outweighed at first by the patience required to start getting the first deals over the line.
Chris describes it as a “wooing process that can be long”.
Nevertheless, he says: “When you get your first deal that is a huge milestone moment – you go from talking about the hypothetical to actual experience. It’s an important point of validation.”
He says that an enormous amount of work went into his first bulk order, which has since opened up further opportunities, including a deal for 80 commercial vehicles. And while Chris says you can’t always link marketing activity to results, he says his LinkedIn car test posts have opened up other opportunities. “You don’t know who is reading or monitoring your output. Often it can be quite passive, but it’s definitely worth doing.
“Going live with my first salsac scheme was also really important. It was knowing that, with 25 years in financial services, people would trust me. These things are hugely important when you are new into business.”
Chris says that central to his proposition is sustainability, which has played a significant part in a recent customer win.
Not long after becoming an Appointed Representative of Fleet Alliance, Chris joined the Business Wales Green Growth Pledge (he’s based in Cardiff) – a voluntary commitment that helps companies embed practical, measurable sustainability actions helping Wales transition to a low carbon future.
“In addition, Fleet Alliance is certified carbon neutral, the order bank is 84% for electric vehicles both EV and PHEV, all of which puts me in a prime position to support customers with consultancy and value-added advice,” he says.
A Broker News Award winner
at the very first attempt!
There was no holding Chris back in his first year as an Appointed Representative, winning Best Appointed Representative at the Broker News Awards 2026.
The judges said of Chris: “He’s focused on value not price and there’s clear evidence of him supporting fleet customers with sound advice, and he’s making great strides with salary sacrifice. Great to hear how he’s mentoring new ARs.”
How has the business developed since the original Broker News announcement?
Chris says that his conviction on company cars and vans and the benefits of salary sacrifice remain absolute and he points out that these areas of business continue to grow.
“The thing that has been different is the gestation period between speaking to clients and commitment to vehicles – it’s a long one. I’m still getting contact from people who I spoke to at the beginning of the year, because they are now in a position to talk to me.
“You have to have the long game in mind. It’s about building your profile, building your brand, and building your network. My LinkedIn mantra is visibility, credibility, profitability, because tomorrow’s opportunity is built on the effort of today.”
What has helped Chris develop his AR business from start up to one year in, he admits, is the back-end support he receives from Fleet Alliance, recently boosted by the news that Palladian has invested in the Global Vehicle Group, of which Fleet Alliance is a part, with the aim of further growth.
Chris points to the marketing team who are able to send branded support material for prospects, especially when he is pitching to salary sacrifice clients. “I think that care and attention goes a long way,” he adds.
Compliance is another area provided by the back room at Fleet Alliance that helps Chris develop his business without the distraction of making sure everything is in order.
“They take care of all the checks and balances, make sure the paperwork is in order, that calls are recorded, and so on,” says Chris. “The combination of automated systems and Fleet Alliance second line checks to ensure what I have done is correct is invaluable, especially when you have multiple clients – otherwise it’s a lot of plates to spin.”
Looking back…looking forward
Reflecting on his last 12 months, Chris identifies the support levels he received from Fleet Alliance along with the “ability to have conversations with companies far too big for a start up such as I was”.
For his next 12 months, Chris plans further growth and development, saying:
“My main ambition is to get to the point when renewals start to kick in after 24 months. Then I’ll know that I have a client base that is really predictable and where some 75% of my business is coming from, while the other 25% will be incremental. That would be a huge step forward.”
For further information about joining Fleet Alliance as an Appointed Representative
Download the Fleet Alliance AR brochure here, or contact Laura Muir, Head of Appointed Representatives and Partner, on laura.muir@fleetalliance.co.uk
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Ralph Morton is the leading journalist in the leasing broker sector and editor of Broker News, the website which provides information and news for BVRLA-registered leasing brokers. He also writes extensively on the fleet and leasing market in both the UK and Europe.
