Friedhelm Westebbe celebrated his retirement from the German
Leasing Association (BDL) with friends and colleagues at
Leaseurope’s annual conference in Prague this month, after nearly
thirty years in the German financial services sector.
A former head of the leasing company LGS Sparkasse GmbH, and
subsequently a board member at Deutsche Leasing, Westebbe joined
BDL as chief executive in 2002.
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During his tenure with the association, it merged with another
organisation, IDL, which focussed on the SME sector. Without taking
on any extra staff, Westebbe managed to cater to the needs of both
membership bases.
Now, the BDL writes 90 percent of Germany’s lease business, with
around 190 members and combined outstandings of more than €55
billion. Westebbe and his staff of 10 have provided this
organisation with regular market statistics and reports, while also
organising social and educational events.
In addition, Westebbe’s political talent has come to the fore in
recent years, especially last year during negotiations with
financial supervisory body BaFin to repeal an increased trade
tax.
He has furthermore provided support to BDL members left troubled
by the deterioration of Germany’s lease refinancing market, as well
as managing incoming accounting issues and the demands of Germany’s
changing regulatory climate.
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By GlobalDataWestebbe has also been nominated for the Lifetime
Achievement category at the Leasing Life Awards. Winners
will be announced in December.
Fred Crawley
