The first two months of 2026 have already seen a notable wave of movement across the fleet and automotive sector, underlining just how competitive the talent market has become. With organisations investing in growth, technology and new energy solutions, experienced leaders and specialists are in high demand. These recent appointments and career moves reflect a tight labour market, where attracting and retaining capable people is clearly a strategic priority for businesses across the industry.
Isabella Stout started a new position as Fleet Manager – Small Fleet at SG Fleet.
Tim Shaw is now Fleet Coordinator at Tradiespec.
Denise McKechnie joined GWM Australia & New Zealand as Sales & Fleet Manager.
Ryan Coyne stepped into a new role as Sales Manager – Haulmax Wingman at Australian Tyre Traders.
Wade Harriman has taken over as Managing Director at Autorola Group – Australia.
Bryce Richardson has joined Corpay as Corporate Sales Manager – ANZ.
Allan Whyte is now Fleet Maintenance Manager at Liberty Oil.
Wade Fan has a new position as Dealer Business Development Manager at Omoda Jaecoo Australia.
Lexie Bova has joined Hidrive as Partnerships & Events Manager.
Adrian Magu is now Fleet Development Manager QLD NT at GWM Australia & New Zealand.
Gavin Liu started a new role as Regional Manager (Sales & Aftersales) – West as Bucher Municipal.
Philip Browne is now Managing Director at Test My EV.
Rodney Dalpadado has joined Polestar as Fleet Sales Manager.
Stephen Brown started a new role as Head of Product – Novated Leasing at McMillan Shakespeare.
Aaron Jarvis is now Vice President EMEA at Geotab.
Darren McGinty has joined The Benevolent Society as Fleet Coordinator.
Corbin Luther has a new role as General Manager at Rise of the Phoenix.
Tyler Colless has started a new position as State Development Specialist at NTI.
Anthony Petrocco is now State Fleet Sales Manager VIC/TAS at Mitsubishi Motors Australia.
Alex Gu was appointed as the new CEO at Geely Auto Australia.
Danny Lenartic has a new position as CEO at JMC Motor Australia.
Rahul Anand Senguttuvan has joined Directed Technologies as a Business Analyst.
Ben Hutt was appointed as the new Managing Director at Janus Electric.
James Challis started a new position as National Sales Manager at Fuelco.
Rob Cowell joined GWM Australia & New Zealand as Fleet Development Manager WA/SA.
Luke Callaway has stepped into the role of General Manager – Oceania at Hendrickson.
Andrew Pendlebury was promoted to Executive Manager – Engineering at Hendrickson Asia Pacific.
Paul Riley has joined Australian Electric Vehicle Specialists as Business Development Manager.
Glen Walker is now General Manager – Operations at Austruck X.
Mike Smith has joined Booran Motors as Fleet & Business Development Manager.
Grayden Leaver has a new role as Executive General Manager – Construction Equipment at CJD Equipment.
Sean Killen as promoted to Senior Vice President at Geotab.
Tom van Grinsven joined JET Charge as Senior Business Development Manager.
Bo Christensen was appointed as Head of Fleet Transition at NewVolt.
Hayden Russell was appointed as Regional Fleet Manager at Smart Environmental.
Jake Hooper has stepped into the role as National Maintenance Manager at Splend.
Jeff Nicotra started a new job as Key Account Manager at Ford Australia.
Tim Crilly moved to JAC Motors Australia as Head of Fleet.
Sam Dabestani is now Corporate Sales Manager – Rental, FMO & Large Fleet at BMW Australia.
- Fleet News Group announces 2026 COTY finalists
Fleet News Group has announced the nine vehicles selected as finalists in the 2026 Fleet News Group Vehicle Awards. The vehicles will compete in each of the Fleet Car of the Year, Fleet EV Car of the Year and Fleet Light Commercial Vehicle of the Year categories. The finalists were selected using a Best Value - SG Fleet acquisition could create a 320,000-vehicle fleet management groupSG Fleet’s proposed acquisition of FleetPartners would deliver significantly more than an additional customer list. It would add more than 80,000 vehicles under management, a large leasing portfolio, established operations across Australia and New Zealand, and a recently modernised technology platform. SG Fleet is estimated to manage approximately 240,000 vehicles across Australia and New Zealand.
- Mercedes-Benz Marks 130 Years of Commercial VansMercedes-Benz Vans has introduced a limited-edition Vito Crew Cab as it reflects on 130 years of commercial vehicle development and 30 years since the Vito was launched globally. The company traces its van history to 1896, when Carl Benz developed what Mercedes-Benz describes as the world’s first motorised work van, a decade after inventing the
- Toyota’s hybrid strategy is still reshaping Australia’s fleet marketToyota’s move into plug-in hybrid and battery-electric vehicles does not signal the end of hybrid’s importance to Australian fleets. Instead, the company’s latest product strategy suggests hybrid will remain the volume lower-emissions option for many fleet applications well into the next decade. Toyota Australia expects efficiency hybrid vehicles to account for 39 per cent of
- SG Fleet wants to buy FleetPartnersFleetPartners Group Limited has received an unsolicited takeover proposal from SG Fleet Topco Limited, potentially bringing together two major fleet management and vehicle leasing businesses. FleetPartners announced on 3 August that it received the indicative offer after the market closed on Friday, 31 July 2026. The non-binding and conditional proposal values FleetPartners shares at $3.60
