Europcar Mobility Group announced yesterday that Benoît Garel will take over as managing director of Europcar Mobility Group Australia/New Zealand, covering all activities of the Group in this region. Garel has taken over the position from Ron Santiago, who has been appointed managing director of Europcar Mobility Group U.K.

Garel began his career at KPMG, then a private equity company. He joined Europcar Mobility Group in 2008 and held various management positions within the Group’s central functions, including group controller. In 2018, he was appointed managing director for the mid-size countries, with responsibility for integrating newly acquired countries within the Group.

Before being appointed managing director of Australia/New Zealand, Garel was the Group’s deputy chief operating officer.

Garel's priority will be to deploy the Group’s “Connect” plan in Australia and New Zealand, responding to the new customer needs and expectations that have been reinforced by the Covid-19 crisis and are now part of the “new normal.” This will require the development of contactless services and increased flexibility in the service offering, the acceleration of the roll out of a greener fleet and the nurture of the Group’s safety-first culture.

In the coming months, Garel and his teams will do so by taking advantage of the innovative service offering that the Group is rolling out in all the countries where it is present: a fully flexible long-term rental solution for B2B and B2C customers, a recognized vans and trucks offer, provided by a dedicated business unit for B2B customers, which will be adapted to the specificities of the Australian and the New Zealand markets.