JAMES O’MALLEY, one of the co-founders of Select Car Leasing, has decided to step down from his joint CEO role he holds with co-founder Mark Tongue.
O’Malley, along with Tongue, helped build the leasing broker from a start up in 2004 to a broking powerhouse claiming more than 120,000 vehicles leased and close to 300 staff members across 12 sites nationally.
He leaves Select to focus on personal projects having driven the technical innovation and commitment to customer service at the Reading-based leasing broker.
“James’s departure marks the end of an era for the business, as he has been a key part of Select Car Leasing since its inception in 2004. Over the past two decades, James has achieved remarkable milestones and made significant contributions to the success of Select Car Leasing.“
Tongue added that O’Malley had been instrumental in the design and implementation of the company’s CRM system, crucial to customer service.
But O’Malley did more than bring his technical nous to the business. Along with Tongue, they managed to sell over a third of Select Car Leasing to Mobilize Financial Services in August 2023, while also acquiring a 15% stake in Mobilize Lease&Co UK Ltd.
At the moment, there is no word as to whether O’Malley has relinquished his shareholding in Select Car Leasing or in the RCI Bank owned Mobilize Lease&Co which operates as the multimarque funder Select Lease by Mobilize.
“While this is a big change for us, I’m excited about the road ahead for Select with the board of directors we have in place – including Managing Director Graham Conway and Financial Director Barry Anderson – and the proficient skill set they bring to the table,” added Tongue.
A passionate supporter of Reading FC, O’Malley was delighted to see Select become Principal Partners of the club in 2021 – a key relationship which was expanded at the end of 2024 to include sponsorship of the Women’s First Team and associated youth pathways.
Co-founder Mark Tongue added: “As we bid farewell to James, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to him for his co-leadership, vision, and commitment over the years. We wish him success and happiness in the next chapter of his journey.”
Mark Tongue will continue as the sole CEO of Select Car Leasing.
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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.
