Meet the consultants

Our team of qualified specialists are here to support you, as a large fleet business, with over 100 years of collective experience in the fleet industry. As one of the UK’s largest vehicle leasing businesses we are helping customers with fleet policy and supporting their transition to a more sustainable fleet.  We cover finance and tax, policy, occupational road risk, environment and operations.

All consultants are professionally qualified in their specific fields of accountancy, taxation, procurement and fleet management, with many acknowledged as industry experts.

Consultant support for you

We can:

  • Advise on upcoming regulatory and legislative changes
  • Demonstrate greater tax efficiencies for your business and for employees
  • Define a clear path to your sustainability targets
  • Offer an even more attractive rewards package
  • Provide the right vehicle and leasing solution for individuals’ needs
  • Reduce carbon footprints through low emission leased vehicles

Ashley Barnett, Consultancy and Sustainability Senior Manager

Ashley is a Senior Manager, leading our Strategic Consultancy & Sustainability team and driving the decarbonisation of the 1.2 million vehicles we finance.

His work centres on supporting fleets through the transition to net zero—shaping strategy, reducing emissions, and influencing industry progress.

He regularly liaises with government departments and key industry bodies to help shape policy and ensure our customers are prepared for regulatory and market change.

Ashley has 30 years in financial services, including over 25 years in the group, supporting organisations of all sizes in accelerating their shift to zero‑emission fleets.

Chris Chandler, Principal Consultant

Chris is a highly respected Fleet Management Consultant with nearly 30 years’ experience, specialising in environmental fleet management and vehicle technologies. He has long championed cleaner vehicles and sustainable transport, working with organisations including the Energy Saving Trust, Go Ultra Low, OLEV/OZEV, HMRC and the BVRLA. His industry recognition includes the Energy Saving Trust Green Fleet Hero Award (2015), BVRLA Industry Hero Award (2021) and GreenFleet EV Champion Award (2024).

At Lex Autolease, Chris established the plug‑in vehicle proposition, helping the business operate one of the UK’s largest alternatively fuelled fleets and finance the UK’s first hydrogen fuel‑cell fleet vehicle. He supports major customers in their transition to zero‑emission vehicles and provides strategic fleet, cost and sustainability expertise. Chris is also the EV and alternative fuels SME for Lloyds Transport, which currently funds over 230,000 BEVs and is committed to full fleet decarbonisation.

Heather Simpson, Principal Consultant

Heather rejoined the Consultancy team in 2025, returning to the team after spending time in the Corporate Sales channel to broaden her experience.

With over 20 years in the vehicle leasing industry, Heather brings a strong commercial and financial perspective into Fleet Consultancy.

Heather has held key roles across Corporate Sales and Finance at Lex Autolease, giving her first‑hand insight into both internal commercial considerations and the real‑world challenges faced by our clients.

Heather plays a key role in supporting colleagues and clients across fleet policy, funding, cost management, and sustainability, helping ensure our support is practical, commercially grounded, and aligned with both Lex’s and clients wider objectives.

Eduarda Thomas, Principal Consultant

Eduarda is both a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Tax Advisor with 20+ years experience working with employee benefits & compensation as well as employment taxes. 

With Lex Autolease since 2010, as a key member of our fleet consultancy team, Eddie’s tax and employee benefits expertise means she has been responsible for designing and supporting the implementation of numerous employee benefit arrangements.

Paul Coley, Principal Consultant

Paul has a career spanning 35+ years; mostly dedicated to advising FTSE 100 and 250 companies on employment taxes.  Starting at HMRC as PAYE Auditor – Paul joined KPMG as a consultant advising clients on employment taxes. 

His career in fleet started 23 years ago when joining Lloyds TSB Autolease as a consultant in the Whitechapel brand - advising, designing, reconciling, and auditing Employment Car Ownership Schemes (ECOS).

Today, Paul works in the Strategic Consultancy team, specialising in employment taxes, cost management, sustainability and combining data analytics with business intelligence visualisation tools to help design innovative fleet solutions for customers.

Iona Fairham, Sustainability Manager

Iona has been with the group for over 20 years and in the Transport Sustainability team for 4 years looking after propositions, supplier partnerships and education related to EV driving.

Her role focuses on simplifying the transition to electric whether that be through educational content and tools, or implementing products and propositions that take some of the hassle out of the experience whilst adding value for our customers at the same time.

This year her focus goes beyond just the car into the wider home energy eco-system looking at how we can bring innovative solutions to our customers to help maximise the potential financial and sustainable benefits of electrification right through from the car in to the home.

Sarah Morrison, Sustainability Manager

Sarah leads Sustainability, Strategy and Engagement within our team including the Working and Climate Group meetings.

She is passionate about sustainable transport, practical climate action, and helping teams turn ambition into impact. She lead leading on the 2026 EV MythBusters Rally.

This year, Sarah is also working on strengthening Transport awareness of Modern Slavery and Human Rights, with advice from the charity Unseen UK with survivor insights. Modern Slavery is still reported in services related to Transport such as valeting and logistics. 

Subject to status, terms and conditions apply.  Service may be charged for depending on commercial arrangement.