The Women in Fleet Profile series aims to introduce fleet managers to some of the most influential women in fleet.

This month, we get to know Carolyn Edwards, the senior vice president, client success at LeasePlan USA. With February marking her 26th anniversary in fleet, Edwards has spent her entire fleet career at LeasePlan USA.

“I am fortunate to say that my entire 26-year fleet career has been at LeasePlan USA via a number of different roles. Prior to joining the company, I was on the OEM side, which led me to fleet. I guess time does fly when you’re having fun, as they say!” Edwards said.

Edwards oversees the client success team at LeasePlan USA.

“Most importantly though, my role is to take away the fleet manager’s burden through consultancy. I work with my team to identify ways to cut costs, increase safety, and add efficiencies to our client’s fleets. I aim to create a seamless process and make the fleet manager’s life as easy as possible. Fortunately here at LeasePlan, we are always looking for what’s next and evolving with new and innovative approaches to all aspects of fleet management,” Edwards said.

Edwards heard about LeasePlan from a friend.

“A friend of mine was the tax director at LeasePlan USA and kept telling me what a great company it was. After hearing that for some time, I decided to interview and, as they say, the rest is history,” she recalled.

Many may also know Edwards from her involvement with Women in Fleet Management (WIFM).  WIFM provides networking, mentoring and other opportunities to women and men in the fleet industry.

“Starting WIFM is definitely something I consider one of my greatest accomplishments. It provides me the opportunity to leave a legacy, work within my passion, and network with other wonderful and inspiring men and women in the industry,” she said.

Edwards has seen the industry grow and change over the past 26 years and her outlook remains positive about the future.

“It’s motivating to see the new breed of fleet managers coming into the industry with new energy, changing mindsets, and different needs from a products and services perspective. The face of fleet is changing and what it means to be ‘in fleet’ is in the midst of doing a 180. I consider myself fortunate to be a part of such revolutionary change within the industry and helping pave the way for the future while here at LeasePlan USA. What’s next is truly on the horizon,” Edwards said.

Her advice for others? “Evolve and find partners in the industry that consistently are driven by new technologies and services. Plus — network, network, and network,” she said.

Experience doesn’t tell the whole story. What we like to read, watch, and listen to helps paint a clearer picture. We’ve asked Edwards to tell us some her favorites:

• Book: “All the Light We Cannot See. My favorite thing about this book is how unexpected it was for me. It was suggested to me by a friend, but was not the type of book I would typically seek on my own. Once I started it, I truly could not put it down. So what started as something I was fairly indifferent about ended up being one of my favorite books!” Edwards shared.

• Movie: “Oh, this is a toss-up between The Big Chill and the original Airplane! It’s too hard to choose just one,” Edwards said.

• Song: “Anything by the Rolling Stones! It’s hard for me to pinpoint a specific song by the Rolling Stones, there’s just something about their music when it comes on the radio that I can’t help but turn it up and sing along! It’s that indefinable quality all of their music has that makes them stand out from all others for me,” Edwards said.

• You May Not Know: Did you know Edwards loves to downhill ski?