Jose Luis Criado (LeasePlan), nominee for 2016 International Fleet Hall of Fame

Who will be this year’s inductee in the International Fleet Hall of Fame? Dear reader, that is up to you! See below for info on how to vote, and for whom. Check this page for some background on the candidates.

→ Jose Luis Criado, Managing Director at LeasePlan International (pictured).

When Jose Luis Criado (63) retires at the end of this year as Managing Director of LeasePlan International, it is not just his company, but the whole fleet and lease industry that loses a leading figure. Jose Luis has been a commanding presence in the industry for 30 years – both in Europe and at the global level.

Jose Luis was instrumental in setting up LeasePlan’s activities in Southern Europe and South America. And in so doing, he paved the way for the growth of car leasing per se in both regions. It is for that achievement, as well as for the breadth, depth and length of his career, that he has been nominated for the International Fleet Hall of Fame.

Jose Luis studied hydraulic engineering in Madrid, and also got an MBA there. In 1987, he started as Managing Director for LeasePlan Spain – helping to build the company from scratch. From 2000 to 2004, he was regional SVP, in charge of LeasePlan activities throughout Southern Europe and South America, starting up subsidiaries in Greece, Portugal and Brazil. After a five-year stint as independent consultant, Jose Luis came back to LeasePlan in 2011 as its international Managing Director.

Above and beyond the call of duty at LeasePlan, Jose Luis has also played a major part in the fleet and lease industry at large: as a founder and two-term president of AER, the Spanish Vehicle Leasing Association; as the co-author of the White Book on Leasing in Spain; as a member of the Automotive Think Tank of the IE Business School, his alma mater; and as a member of the Advisory Board of the Latin American Fleet Managers Association (AIAFA).

As evidenced by this long list of other engagements, it is very likely that Jose Luis will continue to contribute to the industry even in retirement. He will, however, undoubtedly have more time for his family, and his hobbies.

Jose Luis Criado in his own words

Hobbies? “The study of history and anthropology”.

First car? “A Peugeot 504, in 1971. I have magnificent memories of that car”.

Other job? “If I hadn't gone into the Lease industry, I could also have enjoyed Travel and Tourism, as it is also deals with the overlap between people's needs and emotions”.

How to vote, whom to vote for, and where to celebrate the winner

→ You can help decide whether Jose Luis will be inducted in the International Fleet Hall of Fame. Vote for him here!

→ Discover the other nominees: Manoëlla Wilbaut, Head of Global Commercial Developments & Sustainability at DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation and Knut Krösche, Director International Fleet, After Sales and Used Cars at Volkswagen Financial Services AG 

→ To find out whether he made it, join us at the Fleet Europe Awards in Barcelona on 16 November!

→ Follow the event on Twitter via #FleetEuropeAwards