Fleet provider promotes for new business development head

Liquid Fleet has promoted Deborah Stewart-Downs to head of business development as the company expands its sales team.

The appointment comes as the fleet provider anticipates a 20% increase in revenue in 2026, driven by growth in corporate short-term leasing and demand for rental vehicles through broker partners.

Stewart-Downs joined Liquid Fleet five months ago, having previously spent nine years at van converter Bott, where she was most recently head of sales. Before that, she spent 18 years at Vauxhall Motors as a corporate sales manager.

She said: “The company is very focused on its ambition of growing to 5,000 vehicles and the team and I will be working hard to achieve this goal through growing our customer base across broker, rental and corporate sales.”

Expanding the sales team

Liquid Fleet has also made three further appointments to strengthen its business development and broker operations.

Leigh Hartzenberg has joined as business development manager for the north, bringing experience in facilities management and vehicle rental through the Dawson Group.

Lucy Summers has been appointed business development manager for the central region, having previously worked at Enterprise Mobility.

And Grace Hall has joined as broker manager, with responsibility for developing partnerships and opportunities across the broker market. She previously worked in contract hire and leasing at Motorlease and Summit Drive.

Stewart-Downs is also recruiting for a southern business development role, which would give Liquid Fleet its largest sales team to date.

Commercial director Martin Potter said demand for flexible, shorter-term leasing was creating opportunities for the business.

He added that the rental broker sector continued to offer growth potential, supported by stock-sourcing partnerships with 20 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).