AUTOHORN FLEET SERVICES: LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT SUPPORT
Business Scale Up has supported Yorkshire-based vehicle leasing company, Autohorn Fleet Services, to upskill its leadership and management teams, increasing resilience across the business.
Autohorn Fleet Services was established in York in 1995 with five members of staff, nine rental cars and a makeshift desk made from an old wallpaper table. Today, they have a fleet of over 2,500 vehicles and a team of more than 70 professionals. Autohorn has always invested in its staff. In 1999, Lee Underwood joined the company as a salesperson. In just four years, he rose up the ranks to Managing Director, a position he has held ever since.
Throughout the pandemic, while many businesses struggled through lockdowns and restrictions, Autohorn was busier than ever. With the uncertainty that came with COVID-19, it seemed that customers felt more comfortable leasing their vehicles than making a significant purchase of a new car. While this was great for business, leaders realised they needed to strengthen their processes to account for the extra work.
In January 2022, leaders at Autohorn approached Business Scale Up to provide essential upskilling opportunities for their staff for less. Their overall aim was to make their team more stable and resilient to support their continuous growth. Business Engagement Advisor, Adrian O’Neill, worked closely with Autohorn to identify a wide range of suitable training and consultancy for the team, delivered by Business Scale Up’s expert providers.
Over the course of several months, Autohorn returned to Adrian multiple times to access support such as Pro-Development’s ‘Inspiring the Best from Others’ and ‘The Art of Delegation’, and a CMI Level 5 Certificate in Management & Leadership from Wakefield College. By using Business Scale Up, Autohorn benefitted from a significant funding contribution towards this support, as well as Adrian’s expertise and help to complete all associated paperwork. “The Business Scale Up Programme helped us invest in our staff and accessing the funding was really straight-forward” said Fraser Maclean, Director.