Meet Element's Kristi Webb
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The Women in Fleet Profile series introduces fleet managers to some of the most influential women in fleet. Every month, we will get to know another positive force in fleet.
This month, we spoke with Kristi Webb, president and CEO of North America for Element Fleet Management.
In September 2012, Webb was tapped to lead GE Fleet and she hasn’t looked back. “I fell in love with the business right away,” she said.
GE Fleet was acquired by Element Fleet Management in September 2015 and Webb was named president and CEO of North America.
“Although in calendar years, it’s only been five and half years, this is where I was meant to be. I love the people, customers, partners, and the relationships.”
According to Webb, her biggest career accomplishment to date is her role as the CEO of Element. The company brought together two of the best organizations, becoming the largest publicly traded fleet management company in North America.
“I take my role seriously as the ultimate ambassador for Element’s 2,500 employees. It’s a privilege, and I don’t lose sight of that,” Webb said.
Webb’s day-to-day responsibilities revolve around making decisions and creating priorities that align the company’s efforts to “ensure that customers and their drivers can count on Element every day to help make their fleets safer, smarter and more productive,” she said.
One of Webb’s biggest takeaways during her half-decade in fleet is the amount of growth within the industry.
“Fleet is an ecosystem like no other. Since I started, I could see the role that data and technology would play in fleet. Fast forward to today. The industry — FMCs, customers, and partners — are embracing technology and it’s only accelerating. We’re changing and evolving. Fleet’s importance is growing as we integrate and aggregate data regardless of source or type of data. Connected fleet and mobility solutions are our future,” Webb concluded.
Experience is only part of our story and what someone likes to read, watch, and listen to can help paint a fuller picture of their personality. Here are some of Webb’s favorites:
- Book: “The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. I first read the book in 1994 and it still has an impact on my life, every day. ‘Maktub’ — it is written. When you decide to do something, do it to the fullest,” Webb said.
- Movie: “Two movies and for different reasons: 'Dan in Real Life' with Steve Carrell because it captures the personalities of a family ranging in age from 7 to 80 who deal with life and all of its challenges together, and with humor. And 'It’s a Wonderful Life.' My husband, son and I have a holiday tradition of watching this movie together. It elicits wonderful conversations, connects us and always brings us closer together,” she said.
- Song: “Anything Bob Seger! I had never heard of Bob until I started dating my now-husband, Earl, who introduced me to Bob’s music. Bob has sung our lives and if I could only listen to one musician for the rest of my life, it’s Bob Seger. Of course, now our son, Tyler, is 100% into Bob Seger as well,” Webb said.
- You May Not Know: “Whether it’s rooting for my favorite sports teams or playing a board game, I’m extremely competitive. I’m on a team for Run The Year 2018, a fitness challenge to run or walk 2,018 miles in the year 2018. We already hit 800 miles and joked that we may finish in May and start again!” she said.