Ed White, President and CEO of White Clarke Group, has been awarded the prestigious International Auto Finance Network (IAFN) Personality of the Year award from Tarun Mistry, Partner, Grant Thornton and IAFN awards Chairman, to a standing ovation last week in London. In an emotional climax to the awards evening, Ed White was praised by the judges for bringing innovation and insight to the financial and automotive sectors and for “decades of investment in innovation and IT talent”. White said his future plans were best described as “keep calm and carry on”. In addition to Ed White’s award, White Clarke Group was also awarded Best Point of Sale Product or Service Innovation – Motor Finance. The judges said of White Clarke Group’s CALMS system that its “best-in-class usability shows the way forward for customer portals. By clearly recognising the digital demands of the typical customer, CALMS delivers an automated, innovative digital experience using the latest technology”. Edward Peck, CEO of Asset Finance International, said: “The high level of interest the IAFN awards generated and the quality of the shortlists shows how much our industry appreciates a public accolade to those who are constantly innovating to stay on top of the game. With the support of Tarun Mistry, awards Chairman, and Partner at Grant Thornton, the awards were audited to ensure that they were fair and independent. I would like to congratulate all our awards winners, and thank our judges for their thorough analysis”. The IAFN judging panel included: • Chair – Tarun Mistry, Partner, Grant Thornton • Chris Sutton – Managing Director, Black Horse Motor Finance • David Betteley - Global Financial Services Director, Jaguar Land Rover • Norbert van den Eijnden – CEO, Alphabet International • Brendan Gleeson – Group Executive Vice President, White Clarke Group • Xavier Serizay – Corporate Pricing Manager, Arval – BNP Paribas Group • Dean Bowkett - International Automotive Consultant • Paul Stevens, CIO, Netsol Technologies • Peter Hollinshead – Director, Fleet Save Limited • Martin Drake - Product Director, DRIVE Software Solutions Ltd • Martin Ballard – Immediate past Corporate Solutions Director, Volkswagen Financial Services • Mike Lloyd – Managing Director, Central Contracts • Nigel Malcolm – Chief Executive Officer, Fleetcare Australia • Paul Talbot – Managing Director, IFC Fleet Services • Lesley Slater – Business Development Director, LeasePlan UK • Denis Keenan – CEO, KeeResources • Andrew Denton – Chief Operating Officer, CHP Consulting • Paul Burrows – Principal, Automotive, Grant Thornton UK LLP • Pieter-Paul Barker – ICT Director, FCA Automotive Services
The International Auto Finance Network Awards took place on May 13, 2015 at Canary Wharf in London. Over 200 delegates from the industry gathered for a sell-out conference which included an awards ceremony in the evening. International Auto Finance Network has run a series of conferences since 2013 which have focused on the transformation of the retail and business auto finance market as a result of changes in technology, regulation and changing customer expectations. Each conference focus is determined by market research, and consequently has attracted many of the senior auto finance professionals in the UK and in Europe. White Clarke Group is the global first-class provider of end-to-end automotive and asset finance software for retail, fleet and wholesale. It delivers proven, innovative solutions to more than 100 of the world's leading finance organizations in 30 countries.