The board that drives AA DriveTech forward includes Andrew Strong, Chief Executive Officer of the AA, Andy Bowland, Financial Director of the AA and Jim Kirkwood, Managing Director of AA DriveTech. They are supported by a highly experienced group of senior managers who provide product and service development as well as operational delivery, expertise and support.

Jim Kirkwood - Managing Director

Jim joined in February 2004. Jim has extensive commercial and corporate experience having held senior leadership positions within a number of “blue chip” companies such as Eastman Kodak Company, LG Electronics, Infobank International, Barclays and Fujitsu-Siemens. Jim is responsible for setting AA DriveTech’s go-to-market strategy and managing day-to-day operations.

Steve Dethick - Academy Division

Steve joined over ten years ago as a consultant driver trainer. Having served in the British Army, where he gained valuable knowledge of a variety of different vehicles, Steve initially set up his own driver training business. In 1998, he joined the company delivering courses ranging from Advance Test Preparation through to high level personal security. He was promoted to Training Manager in 2006 after successfully bringing the SAFED for Vans training programme to market. Today, Steve is responsible for the strategic planning for the training department and ensuring the quality of training delivery exceeds industry expectations. He holds Advanced Driving qualifications and is licenced to drive all classes of vehicle.

Steve Harris - IT & Technical

Steve joined from Data Programmes Limited, a sister company, following the merger of the two companies. Steve previously ran a successful software development and consultancy company and gained wide industry recognition through many high profile appearances at key conferences and seminars. Steve is recognised as one of the UK’s foremost experts on visual software development and has authored and co-authored more than a dozen textbooks. Steve is responsible for the full lifecycle development of AA DriveTech’s IT solutions, from the creation of core concepts and strategies, through to implementation and delivery.

David Richards - Marketing

David has been involved in business-to-business marketing since 1983 and has a wealth of business experience gained with small and medium sized enterprises as well as large corporates including IMI plc, Misys plc and General Electric of America. Joining in 2004, he is currently responsible for the identification, development and delivery of marketing campaigns across the whole company that support the strategy of the business and increase business revenue and profitability. He has an MBA from Warwick Business School and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Jason Vallint - Business Development Director

Jason is AA DriveTech’s Business Development Director. He brings extensive knowledge of environmental and safety policy development and implementation gained from programme management careers with AEA Technology, scientific research and consultancy with TRL and Executive Search within the freight and logistics industry. He has been engaged on both domestic and international projects encompassing fleet management, operational efficiency and best practice initiatives. Jason holds both Bachelors and Masters Degrees, is a fluent German speaker and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.

Andy Wheeler - DriverAware Division

Andy is a former Traffic Police Officer - Class One driver - with over 12 years experience with Thames Valley Police. Andy initially joined in 1994 as a driver trainer and subsequently introduced ISO 9001 quality standards in 1997. For many years, Andy was responsible for the development of all training programmes, managing a substantial team of permanent and consultant trainers as well as the Academy. In 2008, Andy was promoted to run the DriverAware Division responsible for creating, implementing and running a variety of driver education schemes on behalf of a number of UK Police forces. Andy is an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI), a RoSPA examiner and DSA-registered fleet trainer.