Today, McMillan Shakespeare is a trusted provider of salary packaging, novated leasing, disability plan management and support co-ordination, asset management and related financial products and services.

Welcome to another edition of Fast Five – our series where we ask Victoria’s most influential and exceptional business leaders five questions to get a behind-the-scenes look at some of Australia’s most dynamic businesses.

In this edition we spoke to Rob De Luca, McMillan Shakespeare Chief Executive Officer. With more than 20 years’ experience in financial services, wealth management, disability and healthcare, Mr De Luca has led and grown sustainable organisations through technological, economic and regulatory uncertainty.

1: McMillan Shakespeare (MMS) Group is noted as a pioneer in the salary packaging industry that has grown to comprise 11 brands. What has been the recipe to MMS’ success over the years?

Since McMillan Shakespeare was founded in 1988, we’ve embarked on some exciting journeys that utilise our core competencies of managing B2B2C relationships in sectors where we process high-volume transactions in complex schemes.

But every step of the way – whether it’s moving into fleet management and consumer finance, expanding across the ditch, or establishing an NDIS service provider in Plan Partners and our recent acquisition of Plan Tracker – we have stayed true to our core purpose of helping to make a difference to people’s lives. Having that very clear focus has been a key factor in our continued growth.

We put the customer first and see ourselves as a trusted partner in supporting their financial wellbeing and lifestyle goals. The depth of this commitment is reflected in the length of many of our Government contacts, some of which are now entering their second and third decades. For our shareholders, that stability has been a beacon of continued growth.

2: What benefits does salary packaging and novated leasing deliver to employers as a point of difference to attract talent?

With employment levels sitting at their highest in almost half a century, it’s never been more critical for businesses to revisit their employee value proposition (EVP) and ensure what’s being offered is as competitive and aligned to employee needs as possible.

When it comes to creating an effective employee benefits program, salary packaging and novated leasing are a powerful mechanism that provide benefit across several areas, including increasing the financial wellbeing of eligible employees by increasing their take-home pay and fortifying workplace culture. Best of all, this is delivered at no cost to the employer.As a leading provider of salary packaging and novated leasing, we understand the comprehensive value they can add to employees and, in turn, businesses and organisations seeking to attract the best talent.

3: Has COVID-19 impacted the employee benefits market?

The pandemic caused a monumental shift in the relationship between employees and employers. With millions around the world revaluating their priorities after lengthy periods of working from home, having a robust EVP program has become critical if businesses are to attract the best talent.

Employee benefits are a valuable piece of the EVP puzzle that – unlike pay, culture and the workplace environment – have not been disrupted by the pandemic. We’re seeing more businesses recognise the importance of salary packaging and novated leasing and are proud to support them and their employees in this brave new post-pandemic world.

4: How can quality fleet and commercial asset funding and management deliver a competitive advantage for businesses, particularly as interest rates, energy and costs of doing business continue to increase?

Fleet and Commercial Asset Funding is more important today than ever before, as businesses come against some challenging cost-pressures. With ongoing delays in new car supply, businesses need a Fleet Manager and Financier who is experienced, flexible and innovative.

As one of Australia’s leading Fleet Management Organisations (FMO), our Interleasing business is committed to providing a tailored and flexible approach based around the specific needs of each client. Importantly, by drawing on the size and scale of MMS’s procurement power and investment grade ratings, Interleasing is able to deliver these tailored services at a competitive price.

As the only FMO to also operate retail car yards, we also have better used car market intelligence, set higher residual values, and – most importantly – a fleet of vehicles ready to re-lease to our customers on short-term basis to keep them mobile.

Over recent years, we’ve seen more clients looking to reduce their environmental impact through the introduction of zero and low emissions vehicles. We are fully committed to this transition and have an active program in place as our clients look to transition to greener fleets.

5: What are some business objectives for MMS in the post-pandemic future?

Our clients and customers sit at the heart of what we do and we are continuing to invest in improving their experience. Whether it’s innovative new digital platforms or gaining a deeper understanding of their evolving needs, we are committed to providing a more personalised and connected customer experience that delivers value in making a difference in people’s lives.

We will be exploring new avenues for growth so that we can further support even more clients and customers. With salary packaging and novated leasing forming an increasingly important part of the EVP, we are ready to continue to support Australia’s changing workforce in a post-pandemic world.

We are also committed to supporting our nation’s transition to a low-carbon economy. Last financial year, we reduced our Group carbon footprint by 25 per cent and transitioned all our controllable Australian sites to 100 per cent renewable energy contracts and we are excited to keep making progress towards our target of net zero carbon emissions by 2030. Across our brands, Interleasing, Maxxia and RemServ, we will continue to work closely with clients and customers to support their transition to a low carbon future for transport, through EVs and other emerging technologies.