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Damian James' Blog: 3 October 2008 - Job swapping
Date: 03 October 2008
So we are soon to have another transport secretary as Ruth Kelly is shortly to step down for 'family reasons'. I guess we will never know if this is actually the reason.
What I am more concerned about is who is actually going to be replacing her. In such an important role it would be nice to think that she could be replaced by someone who has had many years of valuable experience related to the transport industry. Perhaps they might have been on the board of a transport business so they can appreciate the complexities associated with the running of an HGV fleet (including dealing with rogue drivers see BusinessCar Office Blog).
I assume that by the time this blog is published then we will all know who will be the new secretary. The rumours are settling around Geoff Hoon and as he is the son and grandson of a railway man perhaps he will be an inspired choice. It remains to be seen, but will there be time to achieve anything before the next re-shuffle and someone else comes into the frame.
A similar pattern of frequent change within the fleet world its one of my pet hates. If you are a fleet manager you know the scenario. One week your business development manager (or whatever manufacturers call them) from your friendly brand tells you that product X, Y and Z are the best. Next month they are working for a rival manufacturer and now product A, B and C are fantastic.
I can appreciate that everyone moves around but the motor industry can be a little too incestuous. This undermines our confidence in the manufacturer and their products.
It's good to see there are manufacturer representatives that appear to be totally behind their brands due to their longevity within the same company. Vince Kinner and Keith Hawes are two very good examples. I'm sure if you cut them in half (not necessarily a good idea) you would see the VW and Renault logos all the way through the middle!
