Wheels Donlen LeasePlan Join Forces as Fleet Mobility Powerhouse

This article originally appeared in Fleet Management Weekly

Last week, on December 1, 2022, it was announced that Wheels Donlen and LeasePlan USA have now come together as one industry-leading fleet management and mobility company when Athene, the majority stakeholder in Wheels Donlen, completed the transaction to purchase LeasePlan USA from LeasePlan Corporation. The combined organization creates a powerhouse in the North American fleet market with the tremendous opportunity to shape the future and revolutionize the delivery of mobility services to clients.

Global Presence

Both Wheels Donlen and LeasePlan USA will continue to provide the valued support that the combined organization’s global clients enjoy and expect. The ALD Alliance with Wheels Donlen continues to be a strong and valued partnership. For LeasePlan global clients, there is an international cooperation agreement with LeasePlan Corporation. This agreement is consistent with how LeasePlan USA conducted international business before closing. It reinforces a commitment to having a dedicated team for international clients and maintains the connection with LeasePlan International and the other LeasePlan countries. Together, the combined organization serves global clients in 60 countries.

Leadership Structure

Shlomo Crandus, CEO of Wheels Donlen, will continue as CEO and Matt Dyer, CEO & President of LeasePlan USA, will take on the role of President. Together and supported by a leadership team with decades of industry experience, the combined organization is poised to bring a wealth of expertise and knowledge to mobility management. As President, together with his new team, Matt is responsible for accelerating growth and scalability as well as leading the client and driver experience. Applying the strength, scale and brainpower of the combined organization, this structure will improve the ability to increase clients’ productivity, reduce their costs, enhance their safety, and meet their sustainability commitments. Referring to this shared vision, Crandus remarked, “Our approach will be thoughtful and deliberate, and we will build on the collective learning, expertise, and ideas from across all three legacy organizations as well as our collective decades of experience to bring together the best of the best.”

Client Impact

For the short term, nothing is changing for clients, and they will experience little to no disruption. In the long term, this merger enhances the company’s product offerings to serve a larger share of the growing and rapidly changing mobility market. The combined organization is even better positioned to serve clients of all fleet sizes from fleets of a few dozen vehicles to fleets with 20,000+ vehicles and across multiple industries. According to Matt Dyer, “We are fundamentally committed to the success of our clients both now and in the future as, together, we shape the future for fleet management and mobility.”

Brand and Name

For now, the company will be known as Wheels Donlen LeasePlan. The go-forward brand will encompass the value proposition, core competencies, product offerings and mission of the combined organization. The brand identity will capitalize on the strong reputation of the legacy companies and position it as the North American fleet and mobility management leader. The company expects to roll out the combined name and brand in Q1 2023.

As one company, Wheels Donlen LeasePlan has $7 billion in assets, 800,000 vehicles under management, and, through the global alliance with ALD and the international cooperation agreement with LeasePlan Corporation, it serves clients in 60 countries. With the financial strength and scale Athene brings to the table, the organization offers clients innovative thinking, new products and technologies. And, the commitment to client success is unwavering putting clients at the heart of everything it does to keep their businesses moving ahead.

For further information, please visit wheelsdonlenleaseplan.com or contact Kevin Riley at [email protected] or Frans Mahieu at [email protected].