Fabrizio Ruggiero

Deputy CEO, Europcar Mobility Group

Fabrizio Ruggiero is Deputy CEO of Europcar Mobility Group, Head of Business Units and Member of the Management Board.

He joined the Group in May 2011 and was appointed Deputy CEO in March 2015. Before taking charge of all the Group's Business Units on the 1st of December 2018, he had various responsibilities within the Group: Managing Director of Italy, Group Head of Mobility Solutions and more recently, Deputy CEO Sales, Marketing, Customers and Low Cost.

From 2004 to 2011 he was General Manager of the Italian company Leasys, a company controlled by Fiat Group Automobiles Financial Services and Crédit Agricole and a leader in the car leasing business in Italy. Also at Leasys, he served as Director of Sales and Marketing from 2005 to 2007 and as Director of Operations from 2004 to 2005.
Prior to these experiences, Fabrizio Ruggiero worked for Bain & Company Italy, as manager from 2000 to 2004, and for Accenture as a consultant from 1997 to 2000.

He holds a Masters in business management from the MIP Politecnico di Milano (1999) and a management diploma from the Università degli Studi di Roma (1995).

Chris Brown

Executive Editor, Auto Rental News

Chris Brown is the executive editor of Business Fleet Magazine and Auto Rental News for Bobit Business Media. Through these publications, online newsletters, trade events and associations, Chris covers all aspects of the fleet world, including fleet management, manufacturer fleet activities, the fleet leasing industry, vehicle remarketing, rental industry news, car rental taxation and legislation as well as automotive environmental initiatives and trends. Chris is actively involved in the National Vehicle Leasing Association and produces the Car Rental Show. Chris is relied on as industry resource in matters relating to car rental by major media outlets such as the Washington Post, New York Times and National Public Radio.

Claire Alleaume

Head of Market Strategy, IMS (a Trak Global Group company)

IMS is one of the world’s largest providers of connected solutions in the Mobility and Insurance spaces, with clients including automotive OEMs, large fleet operators, global insurers and governments. As the leading telematics partner in Europe to vehicle rental operators, IMS has extensive experience accompanying clients on their transition to running increasingly flexible fleets and propositions. With a background in international marketing and strategy within both tech businesses and insurers, Claire is passionate about helping partners from across the ecosystem drive impactful outcomes from connected vehicle and driving data.

Bob Barton

President Global Mobility, RentalMatics

Bob Barton is a highly accomplished professional with proven ability to lead profitable growth in global markets. A goal-oriented problem solver with expertise in marketing, operations, sales, franchising, and public company experience built upon a strong accounting and financial foundation, he is recognized among his peers for leadership, innovation, and expertise in the vehicle rental/automotive and travel/hospitality industries, specializing in corporate operations and franchising. Most recently, Bob joined a former colleague in a new venture solving the mobility/connected car question for operators. In six short months, Bob brought the product to North America and increased the Company revenue base by 20% and bringing his expertise to enhance the product offering. Bob is the past President and member of the Board of Directors of the American Car Rental Association and the 2009 recipient of the Russell Bruno Award as Car Rental Executive of the Year. Bob also holds several Board positions, including Meeting Point USA, the LAL Language Schools, North Carolina Entrepreneurial Center at the University of North Carolina—Greensboro (UNCG); University of Tampa Business School. He has represented the rental industry on the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus and testified before the Federal Trade Commission on competition in the car rental industry. He has been a guest lecturer at the University of North Carolina, Arizona State University, University of Tampa, and the Small Business Institute. His editorials on tourism and taxation have been featured on CNBC.com and Forbes.com, and in the Wall St Journal, Automotive News, and newspapers worldwide.

Carlos Bazan

Head of Corporate Development, Worldwide Leaders Grid

Mr. Bazan is a businessman and investor in several industries. He has built businesses from startup to profitability and private placement ever since 1995. His initiatives include IT and Internet, Media, Sustainability, Retail, and Car Rental, and disruptive technologies. Among his accomplishments were founding and launching Yahoo! in Mexico, and building one of the top car sharing-based car rental company in the United States.

Shawn Concannon

Executive Vice President, TSD Rental

Shawn Concannon, Executive Vice President, manages strategic mobility solutions at TSD for global rental car companies, OEMs, dealer auto-groups, and car-share initiatives. With over 20 years of experience at Enterprise Holdings and TSD, his extensive background in the automotive space enables him to provide powerful insight into the changing industry. As a frequent speaker on multi-use fleets and operational efficiency, Shawn is at the forefront of advances in mobility technology.

Jennifer Corwin

Senior Manager, Consumer Insights, J.D. Power

Jennifer Corwin is the Senior Manager of Consumer Insights for the Global Travel and Hospitality and Digital Practices at J.D. Power. She is responsible for thought leadership and providing insights and analyses in the company’s Voice of the Customer research across the travel and hospitality and digital sectors. Her work spans multiple industry verticals within the travel practice (hotels, airlines, rental cars, airports, cruise lines, loyalty programs, and destinations) and across multiple industries within the digital practice (automotive, insurance, utilities, banking, wealth, telecom, and travel). Ms. Corwin has been with J.D. Power for more than eight years. Prior to assuming her role within the consumer insights team, she provided industry insight and thought leadership within the Global Travel and Hospitality Practice oversight and management of the company’s three major syndicated studies from a research operations standpoint: the North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study; the North America Airline Satisfaction Study; and the North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study. Ms. Corwin earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences and women’s studies from Western Michigan University.

Julian Cowart

Director, Operational Client Experience, Cox Automotive

Mike DeLorenzo

Executive Vice President, International Franchise Systems

Miguel Fernandez

Co-Founder & CEO, Claimbot

Miguel and his team at Claimbot are transforming customer experience for mobility and insurance. Claimbot automates and enhances customer service for companies like Silvercar by Audi and Omadi Roadside Assistance. From reservation to roadside assistance, Claimbot empowers drivers to self-serve driving efficiency for rental, insurance and mobility operations. Miguel is the founder of The Future of Mobility Meetup and a frequent speaker at leading industry conferences including: Dig|Ins, Insurance Analytics and Plug and Play. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and native of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Daniel Florence

COO, SIXT USA

Daniel Florence is Chief Operating Officer of SIXT North America, one of the world’s first and most successful auto rental companies. Founded in 1912 in Munich, Germany, SIXT started out with a fleet of just three vehicles, and has grown to a leading global provider with a presence in more than 105 countries with branches in over 2,200 locations. Prior to joining SIXT in 2017, he spent nearly two decades immersed in North American rental car operations. Florence spent 18 years with Dollar Thrifty in the US, holding various leadership roles within operations, and eventually rising to become Area Director. In 2014, he transitioned to Hertz, where he was appointed as a Vice President of Airport Operations. Florence was then tapped by Car2Go to serve as Chief Operating Officer for North America. Florence received a certificate in Executive Management from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and earned both his MBA and Bachelor of Science in Business Management at the University of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. In his downtime, Florence enjoys golfing, spending time with his wife, and visiting his children who attend university in Kentucky. Florence brings a passion for continuous improvement and operational excellence in every dimension of his role. SIXT is always at the forefront of the car rental industry, it was the first car rental company with a website and the first to accept mobile reservations. SIXT cars are available in almost every major city and tourist destination worldwide, and at convenient locations such as airports, train stations, cruise ports, and hotels. He lives with his wife in Ft. Lauderdale, FL where SIXT North America is headquartered.

Paulo Gaba

CEO Brazil, Europcar Brasil

Roger Gelder

President, A Betterway Rent-A-Car Group

Roger Gelder currently serves as the President of A Betterway Rent-A-Car group, the largest car rental licensee in the United States, with more than 60 independently owned and operated Budget and Avis locations. Roger has over 50 years of experience in the car rental industry.  He began his career in 1968 with Hertz Corporation in New York City as National Manager of Customer Relations and became the assistant to the General Manager of the Rent-A-Car Division before entering the operations side of car rental.  During his ten-year career with Hertz, Roger was the General Manager in Syracuse, NY, Orlando, FL, and Dallas, TX.  Roger then went to work for Budget Rent a Car Corporation in Dallas as the General Manager prior to his acquisition of the Atlanta franchise in 1977.  Through conservative operating strategies, carefully targeted sales and marketing, and excellent fleet planning Roger has led his franchises to industry leading profitability and is one of the most successful rental car operations in the United States.  Roger is a past President of the American Car Rental Association and was on Budget’s national advisory board for over twenty-five years. 

Shantell Guerra

Project Manager, Bobit Business Media

Shantell Guerra is a project manager at Bobit Business Media. She manages B2B content marketing campaigns for advertisers in publications such as Automotive Fleet, Government Fleet, Work Truck and Heavy Duty Trucking. She has experience overseeing the planning, design, and execution projects and focuses on customer success and satisfaction.

Wes Hurst

Attorney, Polsinelli

Wes Hurst is an attorney with a nationwide Mobility and Vehicle Use Practice. He represents rental car companies, carsharing companies, automobile manufacturers and companies pursuing new and emerging business models related to mobility and the use of vehicles. Wes is a frequent speaker and author on mobility related topics. 

Garrett Kautz

Senior Credit Analyst, 1st Source Bank

Garrett Kautz has been with 1st Source Bank since 2013, when he was hired into the Corporate Management Trainee program. He worked for more than five years in the Credit Department where he was responsible for overseeing the underwriting of the Auto Rental, Commercial Leasing and Bus portfolios, and was also instrumental in the process of growing the Bank’s Commercial Leasing portfolio. In the summer of 2018, Kautz transitioned over to the sales side and currently manages the banks presence in the Auto Rental and Commercial Leasing industries on the East Coast. Kautz earned a bachelor’s in Accounting from Manchester University, and he is currently studying for Certified Lease & Finance Professional (CLFP) designation. He is also active in the community, serving on the Board of Directors of the Stepping Stone Women’s Shelter and as an Assistant Varsity Baseball Coach at South Central High School.

Mike Kulp

Panelist, Kulp Car Rentals

Ian Kusinitz

President, Empire Rent a Car, Van & Truck

Owner/Partner of a multi location local independent rent a car with a lifetime of experience. A diverse portfolio of rental equipment servicing NYC and beyond.

Frank LaViola

VP Sales & Marketing, AirPro Diagnostics

Frank LaViola is Vice President of Sales for AirPro Diagnostics located in Jacksonville Florida.  AirPro Diagnostics is a provider of remote scanning, diagnostic and calibration solutions to the automotive aftermarket in North America. Prior to Joining AirPro Frank spent 23 years with Enterprise Rent A Car as a starting as a Management Trainee in San Diego and working his way up to Vice President/General Manager of Operations in Lower Saxony, Germany. Frank spent 10 years at Enterprise St. Louis headquarters as a Senior Executive working with insurance companies and collision repair centers focusing on growth through technology. Frank is a graduate of San Diego State University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management. He and his wife Stacey reside in Houston Texas and have 4 children. 

Richard Lowden

CEO & Founder, Green Motion International

Richard Lowden is recognized as one of the world's most experienced leaders in the field of vehicle rental franchising, having spent the last 25 years developing 100% franchised brands both on a European and worldwide basis. Launched in 2007, Green Motion has become the largest fully franchised vehicle rental system throughout North & Central America, Europe and the Middle East. Creating Green Motion's eco brand along with the introduction of the latest technologies Richard was able to cause major disruption, developing clear space within what is considered to be a very congested and competitive sector. Richard remains focused on developing Green Motion to be at the forefront of the new era of mobility.

Joe Lyons

Consultant, Car Management & Consulting Group, LLC

Joe is currently a Remarketing and Leasing Consultant at Car Management & Consulting Group,LLC. He currently secures new and used vehicles as well as remarketing for rental clients. Previously he was Auction Fleet Lease Manager for 8+ years with Manheim, America's Auto Auction and ADT Automotive. And a Remarketing Manager for 30+ years with Dollar-Thrifty, ARI, Marple Fleet, GECAL, and Flagship Credit. He is a continual student of vehicle remarketing along with providing remarketing and industry overview for investment research to various companies. He holds a B.S.Industrial Arts from Trenton State College of NJ and resides in Manheim, PA.

Mike Muehlenfeld

Brand Ambassador, UNITED MileFleet

Michael is the Brand Ambassador for UNITED MileFleet, a leading rental vehicle supplier in the USA. Michael founded MileFleet in 2008, which was acquired by United Rental Group in 2018, becoming UNITED MileFleet LLC in 2019. Michael's primary role is maintaining & developing relationships from a career spanning almost 30 years. His career has seen him as National Fleet Manager for Alamo Rent a Car before moving on to AutoNation, purchasing over 350,000 vehicles annually. He then spent five years in Florida dealing with the nation’s top manufacturers, paving his way for future ventures with MileFleet and UNITED MileFleet.

Kyle Pfister

VP, Silvercar

Kaio Philipe

North America Business Partner, Rentcars.com

With several years of experience developing digital strategies for the Consumer industries, Kaio was responsible for one of the oldest and largest domains for online travel in the world, Cheapflights.com. Prior, he implemented the metasearch concept in emerging markets, serving as a Director for Kayak.com (Booking Holdings). As a Search Engine specialist, Kaio worked for Baidu and Google - the two largest search sites in the globe. Prior to onboarding in the Search and Data fields, he spent his time helping CitiBank and Standard Chartered Investment banking divisions. As a professional entrepreneur, he founded a company to help the largest online travel businesses in the US to thrive with Big Data, including Rentcars.com; using Cloud, Data Science and Blockchain solutions for better decision making. Kaio studied Economics in Brazil. Later on, Data Science at Harvard University, Big Data at UC San Diego and Management & Marketing Analytics at MIT Sloan. He is also a candidate for Harvard Business School Program for Leadership Development (alternative to an Executive Master).

John Possumato

President & CEO, DriveItAway

John F. Possumato, is a noted consultant, author and speaker in the automotive industry, and is the CEO of Driveitaway Inc, the first “dealer focused shared mobility” company, which provides a turn-key cloud platform and driver app, to facilitate profitable Mobility as a Service business options for car dealers. Both a serial automotive industry entrepreneur and a franchise owner veteran, Possumato has over 30 years of car industry leadership experience, having founded three other ground-breaking car industry focused companies. Possumato holds a J.D. from the Law School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.S. from the Wharton School.

Leslie Pujo

Attorney, Plave Koch

Leslie Pujo is attorney with Plave Koch. Leslie’s practice focuses on two primary areas – vehicle rental law and franchise law. Leslie also oversees the editing and publication of the Federal and State Guide to Vehicle Rental Law. Leslie was in-house franchise counsel at a publicly-traded hotel franchising company and also was an associate at a large, Washington, D.C. law firm. In addition, Leslie previously served as an adjunct professor at the George Washington University Law School and the University of Maryland University College.

Matheus Riolfi

Co-Founder and CEO, Tint.ai

Matheus is the Co-founder and CEO of Tint.ai. Before this, he was the Director of International Expansion at Turo and launched the company in Canada, UK, and Germany. He pioneered the operations, including designing risk management in different stages of the company and sourcing insurance in various countries. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a dual degree in business from University of São Paulo and Kedge Business School.

Andrew Rodriguez

Vice President, Automotive Solutions, Frontline Performance Group / fpg

Andrew Rodriguez is Vice President, Automotive Solutions with the Frontline Performance Group (fpg).  For over three decades Andrew has led successful operational and sales teams in the Automotive, Car Rental and Staffing Industries.  

Ben Rosenbloom

Vice President, ACT Leasing Services, Inc.

Ben is the Co-Founder and VP of ACT Leasing Services, a middle market vehicle leasing company serving daily car rental operators throughout the U.S. He is also the former co-owner of 5 Hertz car rental francise locations in Pennsylvania as well as Thrifty Car Rental franchises in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and West Palm Beach, FL. He also previously held the title of Executive Director at Alamo Rent A Car. Ben has a BA from Colgate and an MBA from Wharton.

Jim Schalberg

Owner & Principal, Jim Schalberg Auto Rental Solutions

Jim Schalberg is a 40 year veteran of the retail automotive industry and has been involved in the rental end of the industry since the late 70’s. Jim is the owner and principal of Jim Schalberg Auto Rental Solutions and Schalberg.com a provider of training, services and products designed specifically to help his clients “Sell More Rental Days”. Jim’s 2018 Profit Builders program includes regional meetings as well as Live Web Workshops and Private Coaching Sessions.

Ludwig Schönack

Co-Founder, Kyte

Ludwig is the Founder of Kyte, a technology company out of San Francisco. At Kyte, Ludwig and his team from Uber, BMW, Lime, Chariot, and many more are building a virtual fleet deployment platform to redefine car rental. Kyte’s technology platform unlocks a magical technology-driven customer experience while redefining the profit equation for existing car rental operators and asset owners. They deploy the full stack of direct-to-consumer distribution, customer intelligence, AI-based price management, demand prediction, risk, telematics, and vehicle connectivity software. Ludwig is a passionate entrepreneur in the mobility space. He started his career at McKinsey&Company in Munich working with Automotive OEMs on the future of the transportation industry. He shaped global digital and commercial strategies before moving to Silicon Valley where he earned an MBA degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

Adam Steinberg

CEO & Co-Founder, Fetch

Adam Steinberg is CEO and co-founder of Fetch, a marketplace for self-service truck rental backed by Knoll Ventures, Avis Budget Group and Y Combinator. Prior to Fetch, Adam co-founded PlacePunch, a location-based marketing solution that served Fortune 1000 consumer brands and retailers. Silverpop acquired PlacePunch in 2011, where Adam served as Director, Emerging Apps. IBM acquired Silverpop in 2015 for a reported $300m. Before co-founding PlacePunch, Adam served in various product and marketing roles at early-stage startups. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Clemson University.

Ken Stellon

Strategic Initiatives, FPG

Ken Stellon leads FPGs’ strategic initiatives and product development efforts.  He has nearly twenty years of experience in various sales, training and performance management roles within the hospitality, automotive and car rental industries. As a highly sought after speaker, he has presented FPG seminars to thousands of sales associates, managers and executives throughout North America, Latin America and Europe. He has gained valuable insights from leading brands like Hilton, Waldorf Astoria, Hertz, Avis Budget Group, Enterprise, Alamo-National, Virgin, AutoNation, Nissan, Universal Theme Parks and many other privately held businesses. He has written fifteen different articles on a wide variety of topics for Auto Rental News.

Anne Taylor

Sales Representative, Guidepoint

Anne has been in the GPS Tracking industry for 24 years. Anne focuses her efforts on providing advanced tracking technology to the rental car market, ensuring a full understanding of the needs of the industry, thereby providing a solution that provides a positive return on investment. Anne has served on many Board of Directors including the Association for Car and Truck Independent and Franchisees, Truckload Carriers Association. Anne has a university degree from Trent University and lives in Toronto. 

Gary Tucker

CEO, Zubie

Gary Tucker is a 30-year veteran of the automotive industry and CEO of the telematics platform provider Zubie. Prior to joining Zubie he was CEO of the automotive review site DealerRater where he guided the company’s growth and led a founder transition resulting in a successful exit for investors as DealerRater was acquired by Cars.com in August of last year. Prior to that, Gary was a senior executive with J.D. Power and Associates (JDPA) for 12-plus years. During his tenure there he held several roles including senior vice president, global product management and marketing, a position in which he established the company’s first product and strategic marketing organization. He also was instrumental in the global growth of the services sector for JDPA and previously led its automotive client services team. Earlier in his career, Gary was vice president of marketing and product planning for American Isuzu Motors Inc. and also held various sales and marketing positions at GE Capital Auto Financial Services, including as business leader of their Canadian unit, GE Capital Autolease Canada, located in Mississauga, Ontario. He spent the first 10 years of his automotive career working in the retail automotive industry in the Northeast. Gary studied engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and earned an MBA from the University of Southern California.

Brian Walsh

Founder, Sofiac

Brian Walsh is a technology executive and entrepreneur that remains highly technical by performing active technical roles in his organizations and companies. Brian is a vibrant caring person, encouraging and inspiring others in the pursuit of happiness.

Andy Wilson

President, UNITED MileFleet

Andy Wilson, President of UNITED MileFleet, has spent the last 23 years working for some of the biggest names in the vehicle rental industry including Enterprise, Budget, Toyota and United Rental Group. In 2015 Andy arrived in the USA with a remit to launch and build United Rental Group’s USA business. Setting up a small office in South Florida the business grew substantially and in 2018 acquired MileFleet. UNITED MileFleet now offers vehicle acquisition through lease and purchase to the independent vehicle rental industry right across the USA. Andy’s passion is to help the independent vehicle rental sector compete in all market sectors and the recent launch of the UNITED MileFleet Partner Program brings big company support and access to products and services at exclusive Partner rates. Andy is married with two young children and lives in South Florida.