LDC Top 50 2019

When serial entrepreneur Justin Whitston created mobility-as-a-service firm Fleetondemand in 2012, he was a pioneer in the industry. The company allows corporate business travellers to book flights, trains, taxies, car clubs – even scooters and bikes – and bill it back to their employer. He’s built five platforms now, operating in six European countries and plans to roll out to 82.

The 46-year-old wants to create a billion-pound “unicorn” within the next decade. “This will be a solid, profitable technology business,” he says. “An ambition of mine is to build a truly global platform from Yorkshire, and allow employees to participate in our success.”

Q&A

What does ambition mean to you?

I have an insatiable appetite for creating success. I want to build and drive businesses forward. My first business, Nexus Vehicle Rental, was a real success, achieving a multimillion-pound valuation but that was UK-focused and now my ambition is to build a global platform. I’ve got the early exit out of my system so I’m in this for the long term.

What’s your USP?

We glue together all available forms of transport. This has the potential to have a massive impact on global emissions and corporate social responsibility – it’s much greener. A car is just an expensive parking machine and we remove a business’ need for one. We also give employers complete visibility of where their staff are. In the wake of terrorist events, that duty of care is really important when employees travel globally.

What’s your proudest business achievement?

There are now 150 families that we’re supporting every year, which is a nice feeling. When you have brought people along the journey with you and made them financially secure, that’s really cool.