Client success story
How ALD Automotive Streamlines Risk Management and Reporting with Symbiant
By replacing a complex, costly system and manual spreadsheets with Symbiant, ALD Automotive created a single, easy-to-use platform that connects risks, controls, incidents, and action tracking—delivering streamlined processes and clearer, audit-ready reporting.
From only £100 per module/month for unlimited users*
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Highlights
What Symbiant Delivered for ALD Automotive
Real results through connected modules, low-cost flexibility, and improved oversight across risks, controls, incidents, and actions.
Simplified risk management
Replaced a difficult, costly system and manual spreadsheets with one easy-to-use, connected, agile platform.
Connected framework
Unified risks, controls, incidents, reviews, and action tracking into a single tool accessible to both 1LOD and 2LOD teams.
Faster, clearer reporting
Enabled quick, tailored reporting and reduced duplication, making it easier to monitor risk mitigation plans.
About ALD Automotive
ALD Automotive is a leading global vehicle leasing and fleet management provider, operating in 43 countries and managing over 1.51 million vehicles worldwide. As the largest vehicle leasing operation in Europe, the company delivers innovative mobility solutions to businesses and individuals across diverse sectors.
In the UK, ALD Automotive finances and manages over 135,000 vehicles, offering customers complete fleet management flexibility, from pure financing of cars and vans to fully outsourced fleet operations.
Established in the UK in 1958, ALD Automotive has decades of experience in vehicle funding and support services for both corporate and consumer markets. The company is recognised as one of the industry’s most innovative and service-driven providers, with an award-winning portfolio of products trusted by major PLCs, small businesses, and individual drivers alike.
Industry:
Financial Services
Headquarters:
Bristol, UK
Established:
1958
The Challenge
Before implementing Symbiant, ALD Automotive faced significant limitations with its existing risk system. The platform was costly, difficult to use, and lacked essential functionality, leaving teams frustrated and restricted. Crucially, it provided no audit trail, making it impossible to track changes to risks or incidents with confidence.
To compensate, risk actions were managed through spreadsheets, a manual, time-consuming process that was difficult to maintain and prone to error. Reporting was equally inefficient, relying on manual effort that slowed workflows and limited visibility.
ALD Automotive set out to find a solution that was cost-effective, easy to use, and capable of connecting all parts of the risk framework, including risks, controls, incidents, reviews, and action tracking. The goal was to support both first-line teams and multiple second-line risk and compliance teams, while enabling smarter monitoring and more reliable reporting on risk mitigation plans.
“Our previous risk system had very limited functionality, was very difficult to use and was expensive. The previous risk system did not keep an audit trail of changes so it was impossible to stay aware of changing risks/incidents. We used excel sheets to track risk actions – this was very difficult to use/keep up to date. The reporting was manual, inefficient and error prone. ”
— Camilla Owen, Head of Non-Financial Risk (1st Line of Defence)
Objectives and Selection Criteria
When evaluating a new solution, ALD Automotive set out clear priorities. The system needed to be simple, user-friendly, and well controlled, ensuring it could be rolled out effectively to first-line teams. Cost-effectiveness was also essential, with a requirement to deliver more value than their previous, expensive system.
Beyond ease of use and cost, the platform had to provide the capability to monitor and report on risk mitigation plans while connecting all key elements of the risk framework — risks, controls, incidents, reviews, and action tracking. ALD Automotive also needed a single tool that could be adopted by multiple second-line risk and compliance teams, bringing consistency, visibility, and efficiency across the organisation.
“Have a system which was simple/easy to use & well controlled, so that we could roll this out to our 1OD teams. Cost effective, had capability to monitor & report on risk mitigation plans, ability to connect different parts of the risk framework – risks, controls, incidents and action tracking. One tool that could be used by multiple 2LOD risk & compliance teams”
— Camilla Owen, Head of Non-Financial Risk (1st Line of Defence)
The Solution
In 2021, ALD Automotive implemented Symbiant to modernise its risk management approach. The organisation adopted a suite of modules including Risk Registers, Controls and Policies, Action Tracker, Reviews, and Incident Reporter to create one connected, centralised system.
The Action Tracker quickly proved invaluable. First-line teams could add progress updates without changing action details, while second-line risk and compliance teams had the ability to filter and download the reports they needed, ensuring control, oversight, and auditability.
The Incident Reporter also simplified processes, making it easy for first-line teams to log incidents quickly and consistently. The format was intuitive and user friendly, with dedicated fields configured for second-line teams to maintain visibility without overwhelming front-line users.
Together, these capabilities gave ALD Automotive a flexible yet controlled framework that strengthened engagement across the business while reducing administrative burden.
“We started using Symbiant in 2021, we used risk, controls, action tracking, reviews, incidents. The action tracking capability was excellent. Our 1LOD teams could add progress updates but not amend any action details. Our 2LOD teams could filter on & download the reports they needed. The incident management module made it very easy for 1LOD to report an incident. The format was very user friendly. We also had fields only visible for the 2LOD teams.”
— Camilla Owen, Head of Non-Financial Risk (1st Line of Defence)
Results & Business Impact
By moving to Symbiant GRC, Risk Management and Audit Software, ALD Automotive significantly streamlined its risk management processes. The platform reduced the number of tools in use, eliminating the need for manual Excel and Word forms and cutting duplication across teams.
Reporting, once manual and inefficient, became quick, accurate, and easy to tailor, giving teams the flexibility to design reports that meet their specific needs. Overall, Symbiant created a smoother, more efficient workflow, freeing up time and ensuring greater consistency in how risks, controls, incidents, and actions are managed.
“[Symbiant GRC, Risk Management and Audit Software] streamlined the process, reduced the number of tools in use and manual excel/word forms and duplication. Reporting is quick and easy – reports can be tailored to meet your design needs.”
— Camilla Owen, Head of Non-Financial Risk (1st Line of Defence)
ALD Automotive’s Experience
Support and Collaboration
For ALD Automotive, working with Symbiant has been a smooth and positive experience. The system was already well designed, requiring only minor adjustments to reflect their specific risk policies. Symbiant’s flexibility and ease of configuration ensured a quick fit to their needs.
The team praised Symbiant’s responsiveness and collaborative approach, highlighting how quickly queries and requests were handled. This gave ALD Automotive confidence that the platform would not only meet their requirements but also continue to evolve with them.
“The Symbiant system is very well designed and user friendly. We were able to roll the system out to 1LOD and engage our colleagues in the risk process without compromising on the control or auditability of risk data. The Symbiant team were very helpful & collaborative when adapting the system to meet our specific needs.”
— Camilla Owen, Head of Non-Financial Risk (1st Line of Defence)
Download the Full ALD Automotive Case Study
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With over two decades of continuous innovation in Governance, Risk, Compliance (GRC), and Audit Management, Symbiant has become a trusted partner to businesses, charities, and government bodies worldwide. Built on more than 23 years of client-driven development, our award-winning, fully customisable platform is designed to simplify complexity, strengthen compliance, and enable smarter decision-making. By combining powerful functionality with a modular, low-cost model, Symbiant delivers enterprise-grade capability without the overheads, making robust risk management accessible and agile for every organisation.
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Real Results with Symbiant: GRC Success Stories from Our Clients
Symbiant powers governance, risk, compliance, and audit functions across a wide range of sectors—from financial services and logistics to local authorities and regulators. Explore our case studies to see how our modular GRC, Risk and Audit Management software helps teams effectively achieve business objectives, work smarter, reduce costs, and stay ahead of emerging risks.
See how organisations like SRBS, Whistl, Marsh Finance & more, use Symbiant to improve compliance, manage risk more effectively, and simplify audit processes—on one agile platform built around their unique needs.
” We have had nothing but good experiences and we have a very strong relationship with the team at Symbiant. We continue to use Symbiant for a few reasons. 1. Cost – I don’t know of a GRC solution as broad as ours for a similar price. 2. Customisation – we are able to make changes to have the system look, feel, and run to our requirements with ease. 3. Support – the team at Symbiant Support are friendly, knowledgeable, understanding, and quick to respond.”
— Ben Moulds, Risk, Assurance and Compliance Manager, Whist
— Megan Macpherson, Risk Analyst, SRBS”Before we moved to Symbiant, we were spreadsheet-based, which was a very manual and time-consuming process […]. We also had a bespoke ‘waterfall report’ made to show changes in risk scores month by month — it makes it very clear to see any changes over the last six months.”
”We sought a Risk and Compliance software solution due to the cumbersome and manual process of managing everything through spreadsheets and folders. […] Our account manager at Symbiant actively listens to our requirements and proposes enhancements to improve functionality. Symbiant has revolutionised our R&C department’s operations, easing our workload and enhancing compliance levels.”
— Dan Simpson, Risk & Compliance Director
unbeatable pricing