David Stafford was appointed Director and Chief Executive Officer of ALD Re Limited in February 2012, a subsidiary of ALD Automotive, the provider of vehicle fleet leasing and fleet management solutions, ultimately owned by Societe Generale. He is responsible for implementing Board strategy and managing day-to-day operations. ALD Re provides reinsurance protection for third party motor liability across 23 countries and Stafford says one of the challenges is dealing with cultural differences with his remit spreading from Portugal in the west to Russia in the east.

An understanding of the financial services sector both domestically and internationally is an advantage for anyone looking to enter the financial services market, while continuous development has also helped Rachel Howard to become relationship manager with Barclays Bank Ireland plc.