The brightest minds in global fleet management, including the 2012 International Fleet Manager of the Year, will lead NAFA’s 3rd Annual International Fleet Academy this October in Tucson, Arizona. The first three speakers to be announced are former NAFA President Gayle Pratt, who recently retired from Ecolab; NAFA’s International Vice President, Joe LaRosa, CPA, MBA, Director of Global Fleet Administration for Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD; and Joe Carreira, Fleet Manager at Merck Sharpe & Dohme.
Pratt directed Ecolab’s North American fleet operations of 8,000 vehicles in sales and service fleets, and the global fleet of 18,000 vehicles in 78 countries. Responsibilities included strategic global and regional supplier sourcing and relationships for products/services, fleet budgets, and sustainability plans. In 2008, she was among the final candidates for the International Fleet Manager of the Year award. Pratt retired March 22, 2013, capping a 35-year career in the industry.
LaRosa became NAFA’s first-ever International Vice President in 2012. He has been working in fleet management since 1995, starting with Bristol-Myers Squibb. He evolved this position into Global Fleet Management in 2001 and would go on to be named Professional Fleet Manager of the Year in 2007. The following year, LaRosa moved on to join MSD to start the Global Fleet COE (Center of Excellence). In his current role, LaRosa manages 29,000 cars worldwide in over 100 countries with 12 team members strategically placed in EMEA, North and Latin America, and Asia-Pacific.
Carreira was named the 2012 International Fleet Manager of the Year in Cannes, France last November. He is a fleet professional with a proven track record for delivering a complex fleet strategy to 51 countries in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) regions. Carreira’s responsibilities at Merck Sharpe & Dohme include regional policy development based on the global guidance for local country implementation; approval of all the individual country policies and car lists in conjunction with human resources; compliance and overall governance with the regional fleet policy approach; and implementation of the operation model that gives the best benefits for the company.
NAFA’s 3rd Annual International Fleet Academy will take place October 21-23 at Loews Ventana Canyon in Tucson, AZ. This 3-day conference was designed specifically to meet the needs of those who manage fleets outside of the United States and Canada. In addition to over 15 educational sessions, the conference offers exclusive networking opportunities and a cocktail reception and dinner each night. Early-bird registration is $650 for NAFA members and $1,105 for non-members. After August 16, registration costs are $799 for NAFA members and $1,550 for non-members. Fleet professionals may save $200 off the registration costs by joining NAFA as they register.
Attendees receive several value-added educational items to take back to the office including a ready-to-use executive summary; free subscription to International Fleet World magazine; the newly published NAFA’s Global Fleet Guide; and valuable checklists for policies, RFIs, and RFQs. All total, it’s a resource package valued at $2,500 – well worth the registration costs alone. Click here for more information.
