WEBVTT 1 00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:08.440 Jay, it's great to see you. 2 00:00:08.440 --> 00:00:10.440 Thanks for joining us here today. 3 00:00:10.440 --> 00:00:11.380 Thank you, Aljoscha. 4 00:00:11.380 --> 00:00:13.180 What challenges was Element facing 5 00:00:13.180 --> 00:00:15.340 when you took over as a CEO, and what led you 6 00:00:15.340 --> 00:00:17.870 to engage on this transformation journey? 7 00:00:17.870 --> 00:00:19.730 Well, as you know, Element Fleet Management 8 00:00:19.730 --> 00:00:24.710 is the world's leading pure-play fleet management company. 9 00:00:24.710 --> 00:00:27.550 Element was born about ten years ago. 10 00:00:27.550 --> 00:00:30.350 Through a series of back-to-back acquisitions, 11 00:00:30.350 --> 00:00:33.600 they were able to indeed create market leadership 12 00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:36.300 in each of the three regions in which we operate. 13 00:00:36.300 --> 00:00:41.269 Unfortunately, the speed by which that was attempted 14 00:00:41.269 --> 00:00:46.269 resulted in an inability to integrate 15 00:00:47.384 --> 00:00:50.220 the various acquisitions that were being made. 16 00:00:50.220 --> 00:00:53.650 And as a consequence, saw a significant erosion 17 00:00:53.650 --> 00:00:56.688 in confidence with employees, with clients, 18 00:00:56.688 --> 00:00:59.100 as well as with shareholders. 19 00:00:59.100 --> 00:01:00.830 What were some of the secrets 20 00:01:00.830 --> 00:01:03.080 for the success of this transformation? 21 00:01:03.080 --> 00:01:06.740 I think firstly, our ability to narrow the strategic focus 22 00:01:06.740 --> 00:01:07.820 of the organization. 23 00:01:07.820 --> 00:01:11.430 That ability to stay focused on a three-prong strategy 24 00:01:11.430 --> 00:01:13.610 throughout the two-and-a-half-year journey 25 00:01:13.610 --> 00:01:16.630 allowed the organization to center its focus 26 00:01:17.637 --> 00:01:20.100 and to amass its resources against a few things 27 00:01:20.100 --> 00:01:21.688 that mattered most. 28 00:01:21.688 --> 00:01:24.030 Secondly, quick wins. 29 00:01:24.030 --> 00:01:27.480 That ability to gain traction immediately 30 00:01:27.480 --> 00:01:29.410 with the transformation agenda, 31 00:01:29.410 --> 00:01:32.913 to demonstrate the fact that it was realizable, 32 00:01:33.869 --> 00:01:37.170 and to create funding that would allow us to 33 00:01:38.030 --> 00:01:42.050 progress the entire transformation agenda 34 00:01:42.050 --> 00:01:43.610 in keeping with the pace of change 35 00:01:43.610 --> 00:01:45.930 that we wanted for the organization. 36 00:01:45.930 --> 00:01:47.900 Reflecting back, what do you see 37 00:01:47.900 --> 00:01:50.240 as the key results and key successes? 38 00:01:50.240 --> 00:01:53.030 This really was kind of the wholesale transformation 39 00:01:53.030 --> 00:01:53.990 of the organization. 40 00:01:53.990 --> 00:01:56.580 There wasn't any aspect of the business 41 00:01:56.580 --> 00:01:59.750 that wasn't examined, and in the end, remediated, 42 00:01:59.750 --> 00:02:03.900 improved for the benefit of multiple stakeholders. 43 00:02:03.900 --> 00:02:05.870 And as I think about it through the lens 44 00:02:05.870 --> 00:02:07.640 of our stakeholder communities, 45 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:10.600 our employees were seeking strategic clarity. 46 00:02:10.600 --> 00:02:11.510 They got it. 47 00:02:11.510 --> 00:02:12.960 From a client point of view. 48 00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:16.130 As you know, this has been all about the client 49 00:02:16.130 --> 00:02:18.890 from the outset, and creating a consistent, superior 50 00:02:18.890 --> 00:02:20.376 client experience. 51 00:02:20.376 --> 00:02:23.616 And we see the evidence of our success 52 00:02:23.616 --> 00:02:26.550 in net promoter scores that have moved 53 00:02:26.550 --> 00:02:29.450 from negative to extremely positive. 54 00:02:29.450 --> 00:02:32.090 We see it in the ability of the organization 55 00:02:32.090 --> 00:02:35.070 to identify literally billions of dollars 56 00:02:35.070 --> 00:02:36.660 of productivity savings. 57 00:02:36.660 --> 00:02:40.160 We see it in a dramatic reduction in churn, 58 00:02:40.160 --> 00:02:41.770 in client attrition. 59 00:02:41.770 --> 00:02:44.030 Further, the organization itself 60 00:02:44.030 --> 00:02:46.190 has seen its market value triple 61 00:02:46.190 --> 00:02:49.160 as a consequence of these changes. 62 00:02:49.160 --> 00:02:51.800 And we have consistently performed 63 00:02:51.800 --> 00:02:55.410 in the top quartile in terms of our comparators 64 00:02:55.410 --> 00:02:58.500 and total shareholder return over this period. 65 00:02:58.500 --> 00:03:00.900 What would your advice be to a new CEO 66 00:03:00.900 --> 00:03:02.190 stepping into that role 67 00:03:02.190 --> 00:03:05.680 and stepping into a multi-year transformation journey? 68 00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:10.530 I do believe that successful transformation begins 69 00:03:10.530 --> 00:03:12.100 in the office of the CEO. 70 00:03:12.100 --> 00:03:15.980 You need to make this your primary purpose. 71 00:03:15.980 --> 00:03:20.980 You need to be actively engaged in advocating for this 72 00:03:21.610 --> 00:03:25.250 as a focal point for the organization. 73 00:03:25.250 --> 00:03:29.050 I think secondly, I would strongly recommend 74 00:03:29.050 --> 00:03:32.400 that narrowing the strategic focus of the organization 75 00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:34.360 is of critical importance. 76 00:03:34.360 --> 00:03:37.990 The resources that are consumed in a transformation, 77 00:03:37.990 --> 00:03:42.990 to do it well and do it right, are quite exceptional. 78 00:03:43.490 --> 00:03:47.620 Diffusing those resources across competing agenda items, 79 00:03:47.620 --> 00:03:51.170 I think can be quite dysfunctional in terms of 80 00:03:51.170 --> 00:03:53.170 achieving a successful outcome. 81 00:03:53.170 --> 00:03:56.470 There is a long-lasting benefit 82 00:03:56.470 --> 00:03:59.550 that accrues with transformation. 83 00:03:59.550 --> 00:04:02.680 And that is the ability to materially shift 84 00:04:02.680 --> 00:04:04.800 the culture of the organization. 85 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:06.950 When I think about the transparency 86 00:04:06.950 --> 00:04:09.210 that this organization now demonstrates 87 00:04:09.210 --> 00:04:11.560 with all of its stakeholder communities. 88 00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:13.460 When I think about the agility 89 00:04:13.460 --> 00:04:15.940 and the accountability of the organization 90 00:04:15.940 --> 00:04:17.900 and how much more enhanced it is. 91 00:04:17.900 --> 00:04:20.870 They're all byproducts of transformation, 92 00:04:20.870 --> 00:04:23.460 and not just the what we changed, 93 00:04:23.460 --> 00:04:26.960 but the choices we made around how we were going to change. 94 00:04:26.960 --> 00:04:28.700 Jay, thank you for making the time. 95 00:04:28.700 --> 00:04:30.240 It was great seeing you again. 96 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:31.250 Thank you, Aljoscha. 97 00:04:31.250 --> 00:04:32.983 It's so nice to reminisce.