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.

Chris Haffenreffer

Assistant Vice President, Innovation, Enterprise Holdings Inc.

As Assistant Vice President of Innovation for Enterprise Holdings Inc., Chris Haffenreffer is responsible for the evaluation and management of transformational strategic and operational initiatives within the company. Currently, his team is focused on innovation and strategy around the topics of vehicle electrification and shared mobility. Prior to his current role, Chris worked on the Corporate Development team at Enterprise Holdings, where he was responsible for corporate acquisitions and corporate venture capital activities through Enterprise’s affiliate, Enterprise Holdings Ventures (EHV). Before joining Enterprise, Chris worked at HBM Holdings, a privately held company that acquires and operates middle-market industrial businesses. Chris received his bachelor’s degree in Economics from Dartmouth College and his MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. In addition, Chris holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation. 

Arun Rajagopalan

Co-Founder & CEO, Motorq

Arun is the co-founder and CEO at Motorq, a connected-car API company for car data and analytics. At Motorq, Arun and his team are building infrastructure and analytics tools to help enterprises derive actionable insights from multiple car data sources, including OEMs and after-market device manufacturers. ​Arun is an engineer and data scientist, and started his career at Bosch in Detroit, writing algorithms for in-vehicle safety systems such as ABS and Traction Control. He later spent seven years at Booz & Company, developing commercial strategy for clients across multiple industries

Natalia Swalnick

Senior Director of EV Programs, Electrification Coalition

Natalia Swalnick has a decade of experience and knowledge in public policy issues related to transportation and vehicle electrification. She manages the planning and execution of projects that accelerate the adoption of plug in electric vehicles (EVs) for the Electrification Coalition. Natalia was the Project Manager for Drive Electric Orlando, a partnership between the Electrification Coalition, federal and local governments, Orlando rental car companies, hotels, and visitors centers. The program integrates electric vehicles in an extended test drive application and provides a VIP experience for all renters. Her work includes leading national fleet electrification efforts such as the American Cities Climate Challenge and the Climate Mayors EV Purchasing Collaborative. Natalia has oversight of EV accelerator communities in Colorado and New York, as well as support of the Smart Columbus program in Ohio. She has worked as a private sector consultant to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), spent 6 years as a DOE Clean Cities Coordinator, and served on the policy team in the office of former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Jr. Natalia has been appointed to several State of Colorado steering committees, such as the Regional Air Quality Council and the Colorado Technical Advisory Committee for DC Fast Charging, to share her expertise of the EV market. She earned her Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Colorado at Denver, and is a certified Project Management Professional.

Michael Taylor

Practice Lead for Travel, J. D. Power

Michael Taylor is the Practice Lead for Travel at J. D. Power and has responsibility for Rental Car, Airport and Airline studies.  He has more than two decades of Rental Car experience, working with all major brands under the Enterprise, Hertz and Avis banners.   He has worked with all the major airlines including UAL, American, Delta, Southwest, Alaska, Air Canada and JetBlue.  Michael currently works with over 20 North American  airports including JFK, EWR, LGA, MIA, LAS, DEN, DTW, IAH, HOU, MCO, BOS and others.

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.

Ed Bernal

Agent Consultant, Bernal and Associates, Inc.

Bernal and Associates, Inc., founded in 1991, specializes in the daily auto rental industry. An independent agency providing services in the areas of primary/excess fleet liability, general and garage liability, workers compensation and more. Our scope of services exceeds that of most insurance agencies. How so? Providing specific recommendations, suggestions and opinions; through this, we assist operators by maximizing rental days, profitability, reducing claims utilization through sound counter training and the implementation of appropriate fleet maintenance procedures. Our mission: the success and growth of our clients and that they flourish in an ever changing, highly competitive industry.

Sherb Brown

President, Bobit Business Media

Sherb Brown is the President of Bobit Business Media with 20 years of experience within the fleet industry. Sherb is a member of the Ford Fleet Advisory Board and GM Commercial Sounding Board. 

Doris Cassan

Owner, CMC Investments, Dollar Rent A Car, Seattle and Portland

Cassan is owner of CMC Investments Inc., a Dollar Rent A Car licensee with locations in Seattle and Portland, including the Portland International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Cassan has been involved in the car rental industry for many years. She served as one of the original board members with ACTIF (Association for Car and Truck Rental Independents and Franchises), which has since become part of the American Car Rental Association (ACRA). In addition, she was the first female to serve as the Car & Truck Renting and Leasing Association (CATRALA) president at a state level.

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.

Sean Cox

Owner Operator, U-Save Car and Truck Rental

After four years in the USMC, Sean was hired to manage a small, locally owned rental car company in 1995. Completed Bachelor of Science in 2004, and purchased the same company in 2006. Proud member of the U-Save franchise since 2008 and is a standing member of the U-Save Franchise Advisory Council. Experienced in car sharing since 2013 with multiple companies. Today Sean is not only an active “owner” with dozens of vehicles across many major platforms (Turo, Drift, GetAround, HyreCar and others), he also provides consulting, coaching, training and business plan/model development for rental car operators and car sharing owners who have never been involved with commercial car rental.

Mike DeLorenzo

Executive Vice President, International Franchise Systems

Michael L. DeLorenzo brings 45 years of car rental industry experience. Mr. DeLorenzo currently serves as the Executive Vice President of a combined car rental operation. He has developed and expanded regional car rental operations to multiple locations and thousands of vehicles. Additionally, Michael has experience supporting and working for legislative change for the car rental industry.

Sharon Faulkner

Executive Director, American Car Rental Association (ACRA)

Sharon Faulkner is the Executive Director of the American Car Rental Association. She has been involved with the car rental industry since the 1970’s. She was the owner/operator of Thrifty and Dollar Rent A Car in Albany, NY for over a decade and worked with corporate Avis/Budget Group before becoming the director of ACRA. She has been a board member of each national car rental association and has always been very involved with the legislation that affects the car rental industry. Sharon advocates extensively to promote sensible legislation on both a national and state level.

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.

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. 

Robert Gordon

CEO, Allan Consulting Group

Robert Allan Gordon began his career as a rental agent in 1996 with Dollar Rent A Car Florida. He quickly became a top producer, and in 1997 he was promoted to City Manager of the Dollar airport location in Melbourne Florida. In 1998 he began working with The Khoury Group to start a new coaching and consulting division which quickly became popular with car rental operators in the USA. In 2000 Robert started his own training and consulting company and has since then helped dozens of companies increase their revenues while improving their levels of customer service in the USA and throughout Central America and the Caribbean.

Shmuel Hazan

President, Surprice Car Rentals, Florida

Shmuel Hazan is an entrepreneur in the car rental industry and has owned and operated several car rental companies over the past 15 years. Most recently he has purchased the Surprice Car Rental franchise at Miami International Airport.

Steve Hengeli

Attorney at Law, CIPP/US, CIPP/E, Polsinelli

With a background in computer programming, Steve Hengeli takes a problem-solving approach to privacy, data security, and technology transactions.  Steve works with clients in a variety of highly-regulated and innovative industries, including mobility and vehicle use, to develop strategies to address U.S. and international regulations relating to privacy and information technology. Among other work, he counsels clients and negotiates agreements in the vehicle telematics data space.  Steve is a Certified Information Privacy Professional for Europe (CIPP/E) and the United States (CIPP/US).  

Jordan Holtzman-Conston

Regional General Manager, Getaround

Jordan has worked in the mobility space for the past 6 years, first as an early Uber employee and currently as a Regional General Manager at Getaround. Jordan manages Getaround’s business in the Northeast, overseeing teams handling operations, sales, marketing, and field service across 5 of Getaround’s largest markets. Additionally, he manages Getaround’s national enterprise sales and partnerships team which works to enable rental companies, fleets and dealerships to use Getaround’s technology platform to create additional revenue streams.

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.

Bobby Klyce

President, Car and Truck Rentals, Inc.

The Klyce family had been in the car rental business since 1918 until it sold their company to Avis Budget Group in 2019. Robert (Bob) started in the family business after graduating from the University of Alabama in 1968 serving as Birmingham Airport manager for Avis licensee operations. In the late 70's he was promoted to Vice-President of Operations for the family business. In 1993 he assumed the position of President and the company now included five different Avis licensee locations. Bob was elected president of the newly formed Avis Licensee Association in 1994 and in 1998 he was elected as Chairman of the Avis System Advertising and Policy Committee. Bob also has served on the Board of Directors of the American Car Rental Association. Before selling the family business to ABG the business had grown to include Avis, Budget and Payless brands operating in two states with 12 different locations. 

Joe Knight

Executive VP Business Development, Fox Rent A Car

Mike Kulp

President, Kulp Car Rentals

Michael Kulp received his Bachelors of Business administration from Kutztown State College and Masters in Taxation from Villanova University.  He assumed leadership of Kulp Car Rentals in 1993, after the retirement of Harvey Kulp, who founded the company in 1960.  Under Michael’s leadership, the team at Kulp Car Rentals built a different type of car rental company.  First, KCR delivers cars to their customers, choosing to have their vehicles waiting for their customers, rather than customers waiting for vehicles.  In order to properly and efficiently service and repair their fleet of over 750 vehicles, Kulp Car Rentals operates their own mechanical repair facility, body shop, and recon center.  The company also negotiates and settles insurance claims for their renters involved in accidents.  Finally, KCR has retail sales operations from which they retail approximately 75% of their fleet.

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. 

Isidro Loaiza

Panelist, EHI

Richard Lowden

Founder, CEO & Executive Chairman, Green Motion / Move Mee

Founder & CEO Green Motion International / Founder & Executive Chairman, Move Mee
Richard Lowden is recognized as one of the world's most experienced leaders in the field of vehicle rental franchising and affiliation, having spent the last 26 years developing 100% franchised and affiliation 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. More recently, backed by his senior management team, Richard launched a new digital car rental platform, Move Mee. Move Mee provides independent, franchised and affiliated vehicle rental businesses the opportunity to go fully digital, providing a truly frictionless and industry-leading customer experience. Move Mee is a full stack technology solution that on-boards and validates customers through its app and allows them to enjoy an amazing car rental experience, bypassing the counter and going “straight to their car”, unlocking utilising their phone as a key, and undertaking a full inspection with the app. Move Mee provides a tremendous solution that will allow existing car rental players to unlock the true potential and profitability of their fleet. Richard remains focused on the development of his brands and ensuring that all of his franchises, affiliates and partners stay at the forefront 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.

Gary Macdonald

President, Midway Auto Group

Jason Manelli

President, Rent-A Wreck

Jason Manelli began his career with Rent-A-Wreck in 1999 as an intern in the company’s marketing department.  Much of his career has been spent working with the Rent-A-Wreck, Priceless and NextCar brands to grow and enhance their digital presence.  Jason plays a hands on everyday role in managing the Rent-A-Wreck, Priceless and NextCar website and apps and reservation system utilizing a combination of custom software and hosted applications.  He was named President of Rent-A-Wreck in July of 2018.  Jason Manelli is a graduate of Towson University and lives in Catonsville, MD with his wife and two daughters.   

Michael Meyer

President, Rate-Highway, Inc.

Michael Meyer, co-founder of Rate-Highway, is the world leader in increasing revenue through ground-breaking Revenue Management and Competitive Intelligence systems. Prior, Michael worked at Microsoft, managing Fortune 1000 companies to implement Microsoft software and guiding the development of critical line of business applications. After leaving Microsoft in 1998, Michael co-created the first commercial Internet rate shopping product for the hotel industry called Check-Rate. After Check-Rate was sold to Hotel Industry giant Travelclick in 2001, Michael focused exclusively on the car rental market, and his new company, Rate-Highway, provided the first rental car Internet shopping tool leading to the development

Sandy Miller

Managing Partner, Basin Street Partners

Sandy Miller has experience in the transportation and tourism industries and strong knowledge of the vehicle rental market. He started his career in 1979 at the vehicle rental company Budget Group, Inc. that he joined as North East Field Operation Manager, before becoming a franchisee of Budget Rent-a-Car from 1980 to 1987. Appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Team Rental Group in 1987, he notably supervised the acquisitions of Cruise America, VPSI, Premier Car Rental and Budget Rent-a-Car; he then served as President, Chief executive Officer and Chairman of Budget Group from 1997 to 2003, where he supervised the acquisition of Ryder TRS as well as the acquisition of Budget Group by Cendant Corporation. From 2003 to 2012, he served as Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Franchise Services of North America, Inc., where he managed the acquisition of Advantage-Rent-a-Car, the merger with Rent a Wreck Capital and U-Save. He also served as member of the Board of Directors of the restaurant chain Stonewood Holdings and of the State University of New York at Oswego Foundation and as President of the American Car Rental Association. Sandy Miller is currently Managing Partner of the private investment firm Basin Street Partners that he founded in 2001. He sits on the Supervisory Board of Europcar Mobility Group for the past five years.  From 2006 to 2017, Sandy was the Vice Chairman of the Board & Founding Director of Gateway Financial Holdings of Florida, Inc. He is also a management consultant at Gerson Lehrman Group since 2003.  Sandy Miller holds a Bachelor of Science, Business from the State University of New York, Oswego, NY.

Chris Mitrision

Product Manager, RateHighway

Shona Nabity

President, Rate Pros

Shona Nabity, President of Rate Pros, the leading provider of outsourced pricing management for licensee and independent rental locations; specializing in boosting revenue while improving product utilization. Shona has a broad experience base in car rental, having guided and managed efforts in three of the top four car rental brands during her career, gaining an international perspective through helping operations both inside the US and out. As the leader of Rate Pros, Shona has had the opportunity to help rental locations implement her ideas and programs and realize revenue increases averaging 22% year-over-year. Shona is an industry thought leader, passionate about revenue generation, driving profitability, focusing on the customer, and sales enablement.

Andrew Pascoe

CEO, MarginFuel

Kyle Pfister

Vice President, Rental Operations, Silvercar by Audi

Kyle Pfister is the Vice President of Operations for Silvercar by Audi, the next-generation all-Audi rental car company. With a sleek mobile app, Silvercar offers a hassle-free, premium rental experience. Since joining Silvercar as a member of the founding team in 2012, Kyle has been involved in the launch and oversight of all Silvercar locations in the country. He is responsible for the day-to-day management and growth of the Silvercar rental operations, fleets, and world-class teams. By implementing best-in-class service, Kyle has led Silvercar to an industry-leading NPS score in the mid-80’s.

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.

David Purinton

President, PurCo Fleet Services, Inc.

David’s extensive involvement in loss recovery spans more than twenty-five years and he is an established and respected veteran across many industries.  He has been a featured speaker at many national conventions and was a founding member, and currently serves as secretary, of the Utah/Idaho Car and Truck Rental and Leasing Association.  With over 30 years' experience in the auto rental industry, his resume includes regional management for two national car rental companies, on-site computer software training for the auto rental industry, and independent risk management consulting. His articles on risk management have appeared in industry journals. In 1993, David and wife Jeanne founded PurCo Fleet Services and dedicated themselves to making the vehicle rental industry more productive, profitable, and attractive to customers. Since its inception, PurCo has become the nation's largest independent vehicle rental claims management company. 

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.

Rich Sinda

General Manager, RES Enterprises Inc.

An automotive industry lifer, Rich Sinda is Vice President and General Manager of Hertz, Athens. Rich started his automotive career as a car washer at the Hertz franchise in August, GA. Upon his college graduation, Rich entered the automotive business full-time, working his way through all different aspects of a rental car operation.

Ken Stellon

EVP & Partner, 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.

Ian Sweeney

SVP & GM, Trov Mobility

Ian Sweeney is an entrepreneurial business management expert specializing in early-stage product launches at technology companies. He has over 20 years of experience working with a broad range of enterprises including Dolby Labs and Taulia and tech product start-ups in the automotive and FinTech markets. At Trov, Sweeney manages growth and drives innovation in the emerging space of mobility insurance. Sweeney lives in Oakland, CA with his wife and two sons and serves as a mentor at SkyDeck Berkeley and a board member of the Montclair Soccer Club.

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.

Abenezer Yohalashet

Founder & CEO, Paytollo