About: ARC Europe Communication

ARC Europe, the specialist provider of mobility assistance services in the European automotive market, announces that Ilaria Caputo will be departing the company on May 31^st, 2023 to pursue new projects. The Board has appointed Mr Willem Aal as its new CEO effective 1^st June 2023.

The Board of Directors expresses its gratitude to Mrs Ilaria Caputo, who served for seven years as Group Chief Finance and Insurance Officer and in the last year as Group Chief Executive Officer ad interim during the transition period. Since 2015, when she joined ARC Europe Group, Ilaria has been a pillar in the governance of the group, whose acumen contributed to build and develop the Insurance development strategy and a key player in the structuring of ARC Europe as a European Group, leading M&A activities in France, Poland and Greece. Her leadership and strategic solutions have prepared the group for a successful future. Several new OEMs selected ARC Europe as Mobility partner in Europe under her governance and the Group is ready to respond to next challenges. The Board acknowledges her decision to pursue new challenges and wishes her the best in all her future plans and endeavours.

Mr Willem Aal, Business Director at the Dutch Automobile Club ANWB, will join ARC Europe to take his new Chief Executive Officer role as of the 1^st of June 2023. During his 16-year tenure at ANWB, Mr Aal played a pivotal role in the development of digital mobility services and established the Dutch Automobile Club as a leader in electric assistance solutions.

In his new role, Mr Aal will leverage his vast knowledge and experience to drive ARC Europe’s Pan-European B2B mobility business and guide its strategic roadmap. “The Board of Directors trusts in the extensive knowledge and experiences of Willem Aal, to drive our Pan-European B2B Mobility company and further develop our activities according to our strategic roadmap,” said Claudius Leibfritz, Chairman of the ARC Europe Board of Directors.

Mr Aal is no stranger to ARC Europe, having led its Business Governance body since 2017. In this capacity, he supported the executive team in developing business partnerships and defining the strategic direction for the group in the years to come. With his expertise in the mobility industry and his extensive network across Europe, Mr Aal is well-positioned to lead and deliver the group’s strategic objectives in Europe.

In welcoming Mr Aal to his new role, the Board expresses confidence in his ability to build a bright future for the company. ARC Europe looks forward to benefitting from his leadership, expertise and vision.

About ARC Europe

ARC Europe is the largest supplier of B2B roadside assistance services in Europe with an outstanding network in more than 40 European countries. The Group represents its own subsidiaries in France, Poland and Greece, and its shareholders, which are the major automobile clubs in Europe: ADAC, The AA, ANWB, ACI, OEAMTC, RACE, TCB & TCS.

ARC Europe has entered new fields of activities, with the ambition to sustain the electrical shift, delivering mobility solutions and connected services enlarging its geographical scope.

ARC Europe Media Contact

Antoine Aubry – antoine.aubry@arceurope.com

ARC Europe, the European market leader in roadside assistance & mobility services in Europe, today announced that Stefano Sarti, Managing Director of the Group, will be departing the company on May 31st, 2022, to pursue new projects. The Board has appointed Chief Finance & Insurance Officer Ilaria Caputo as the new Group Chief Executive Officer ad interim.

“With Stefano’s leadership, ARC Europe has successfully navigated through the most unprecedented challenges facing the automotive industry” said Mahbod Asgari, Chairman of ARC Europe Board of shareholders. The company’s pivots during Stefano’s eight-year tenure have resulted in a major transformation process of the way we provide roadside assistance, with an accelerated development of electric and connected services, and of our positive assistance solutions, based on data analysis and predict and prevent. “This strategy is paying off, for ARC Europe has made a strong performance in the EV & connected services ecosystems over the last few years, with momentum continuing to grow.”

During his tenure, Stefano Sarti was responsible for strengthening ARC Europe’s position as a major player in Europe thanks to the acquisition of its current subsidiaries in France, Poland and Greece. The unification of the ARC Europe group resulted the delivery of a best-in-class and homogeneous quality of service throughout the continent, achieved by pooling the expertise of each network member.

“We are grateful for the steady leadership and the vision Stefano brought to the group, and we now wish him all the best in his future endeavours, and the same success for our new CEO”, said Oliver Schmerold, member of ARC Europe Board of Shareholders.

The Board of Directors appointed Ilaria Caputo as new CEO ad interim and expect to keep the same successful path in the years to come.

Since 2015, when she joined ARC Europe Group, Ilaria has been a pillar in the governance of the group, whose acumen contributed to build and develop the Insurance development strategy of the Group. Within the last 7 years, Ilaria Caputo has been a key player in the structuring of ARC Europe as a European Group, leading M&A activities in France, Poland and Greece. “These past years have been an important period in the company’s evolution, and no one is better positioned than Ilaria to continue to guide the company through this transition phase. ARC Europe is now well positioned to face the challenges of tomorrow, and to respond effectively to our customers’ expectations.” said Stefano Sarti, outgoing managing Director. “I wish Ilaria plenty of success in her new role”.

The current executive team, which contributed to the transformation process of the company, will continue to support Mrs. Caputo and drive the business forward.

About ARC Europe

ARC Europe is the largest supplier of B2B roadside assistance services in Europe with an outstanding network in more than 40 European countries. The Group represents its own subsidiaries in France, Poland and Greece, and its shareholders, which are the major automobile clubs in Europe: ADAC, The AA, ANWB, ACI, OEAMTC, RACE, TCB & TCS.

ARC Europe has entered new fields of activities, with the ambition to sustain the electrical shift, delivering mobility solutions and connected services enlarging its geographical scope.

ARC Europe Group Media Contact

Antoine Aubry
antoine.aubry@arceurope.com

ARC Europe, the European market leader in roadside assistance and mobility in the automotive industry, has launched a start-up scouting. The project is being implemented in co-operation with the German innovation platform STARTUP AUTOBAHN powered by the Plug and Play (based in Stuttgart) platform and the German automobile club, ADAC. The three most important business areas for ARC Europe have been selected: alternative mobility, connectivity (connected cars) and electromobility (EV). Soon the participating start-ups will be able to implement joint solutions across Europe.

ARC Europe is the largest B2B roadside assistance provider in Europe with a network in more than 40 countries. The company works with major car manufacturers and has more than 46 million cars under its cover. In addition to traditional roadside assistance, the company aims to support the development of electromobility as well as provide mobility and connected car solutions.

“ARC Europe is a company with 30 years of expertise that guarantees experience and knowledge in the automotive industry. At the same time, it is a “traditional” organization, where innovations development is a long process. Start-ups are parts of an agile ecosystem where innovations thrive rapidly. We believe that cooperation with such entities will allow us to work out solutions that respond to the industry evolution and customer’s expectations. We have chosen a scouting process to start-ups, without any geographical or formal limitations. This is not an acceleration project; we want to find business partners with whom we can create added value for B2B customers and develop our business. We are open to talk to any interesting Team that can support our ecosystem.” explains Rafał Staszkiewicz, Marketing Director of ARC Europe Polska and project coordinator on behalf of ARC Europe Group.

The first joint start-up scouting project focuses on three business areas: alternative mobility, connectivity (connected cars) and electromobility (EV). Participating start-ups will have the opportunity to collaborate on new product launches and innovations within the ARC Europe network across Europe.

“As ADAC (founder and largest shareholder of ARC Europe) we support and sponsor the STARTUP AUTOBAHN powered by Plug and Play platform. For the organization and realization of the planned pitching sessions, Plug and Play has been a highly professional, ideal, and reliable partner, as they have a very large international network of start-ups and understand our business needs very well. The co-operation between several automotive clubs was very constructive and great fun. The pitching sessions are intended to represent one of the first milestones in the transformation and consolidated collaboration.” adds Bastian Eppler, Senior IT Consultant and project coordinator from the ADAC.

The project is divided into several stages. The first one was a preliminary selection of several dozen start-ups in the three most important areas. In December 2021 pitching sessions were being held – online meetings and presentations of projects. At the beginning of this year, shortlisted start-ups will be invited to further talks and workshops, to develop specific business solutions. The project also includes verifying ideas (PoC) and implementing pilot projects.

“We are delighted to be working with ARC Europe and ADAC on this project. We are leveraging not only the potential of the STARTUP AUTOBAHN platform, but also more than 30 Plug and Play offices around the world. The project is attracting a lot of interest from start-ups. We help in selection of the most interesting projects and running the pitching sessions. This is the first joint project with ARC Europe, and I believe that we will deliver added value,” says Johannes Dalheimer, Ventures Analyst at STARTUP AUTOBAHN powered by Plug and Play.

About ARC Europe

ARC Europe is the largest supplier of B2B roadside assistance services in Europe with an outstanding network in more than 40 European countries. The company is present in France, Poland, Russia, Greece, and in many other European countries through its shareholders who are major automobile clubs in Europe: ADAC, The AA, ANWB, ACI, OEAMTC, RACE, TCB & TCS.

ARC Europe has entered new fields of activities, with the ambition to sustain the electrical shift, delivering mobility solutions and connected services enlarging its geographical scope.

About ADAC SE

Having its registered office in Munich, ADAC SE is a public company limited by shares under EU law offering mobility-oriented services and products to ADAC members, non-members and B2B customers. It is comprised of 28 affiliated companies and private equity firms including ADAC Versicherung AG (insurance), ADAC Finanzdienste GmbH (financial services), ADAC Autovermietung GmbH (car rental) and ADAC Service GmbH. A growth-oriented market player, ADAC SE progresses digital transformation across all its businesses relying on innovation and future technologies.

About STARTUP AUTOBAHN

STARTUP AUTOBAHN powered by Plug and Play is an open innovation platform that provides an interface between innovative tech companies and industry-leading corporations. The basis of the program is the partnership that develops between startups and the corporate business units. The two entities hold an equal footing from the get-go: together they evaluate the potential for a joint venture, move forward to pilot the technology, and work to achieve the goal– a successful production-ready implementation. Designed with the intention to exceed startup acceleration, STARTUP AUTOBAHN moderates a community for collaboration with a focus on implementable results.

“Mobility can be better”. This is the guiding idea of Lynk & Co, which ARC Europe shares. This common belief led the global mobility provider Lynk & Co to make ARC Europe its exclusive partner in roadside assistance and electric services, entrusting it for delivering mobility solutions to their drivers in all countries for the next three years.

The mobility brand, relying on a new digital distribution channel, offers hyper-connected and hybrid vehicles to meet the needs and preferences of a global eco-friendly & connected generation. Whether the customers want to subscribe to a month-to-month membership or to buy a car, they can make it on-line.

Leveraging on ARC Europe’s expertise and assets in the electric, digital and connected services fields, Lynk & Co is now able to assist all its drivers all over Europe.

As experienced partner in EV assistance, and with its strong European network, ARC Europe will support Lynk & Co’s clients in their customer journey from the very first step: once the customers get a Lynk & Co vehicle, ARC Europe’s teams will closely work together with the Engagement Center to answer all their questions regarding their vehicle. In addition, ARC Europe will assist the drivers during their electric driving experience with its alarm management services aiming to provide over-the-air assistance solution to EV chargers’ infrastructure in Europe.

The scope of this partnership is to enhance the Lynk & Co’s customers user experience, all along their journeys, by accompanying them in the discovery of their new vehicle and its innovative functionalities, and, in case of need, offering them the most personalised and smoother assistance experience, in line with the Brand values and customer commitment.

“ARC Europe is very proud to accompany Lynk & Co customers towards electric-powered transportation”, said Jeffrey Daane. “It confirms the level of confidence we create together with Lynk & Co’s team in an experimental way of collaboration with the pandemic crisis”. After several years of investment to enhance the new mobility assistance journey, it is an accomplishment for our company.”

About Lynk & Co

Lynk & Co provides mobility solutions for the connected generation. More than being a car manufacturer, they offer a new way of using those cars. Their membership-based approach makes it simple to get on the go. Members can access a car on a flexible, month-to-month basis and share with friends, family, and the Lynk & Co community.

About ARC Europe Group

ARC Europe Group is the largest supplier of B2B roadside assistance services in Europe with an outstanding network in more than 40 European countries. The Group represents its own subsidiaries in France, Poland, Russia and Greece, and its shareholders, which are the major automobile clubs in Europe: ADAC, The AA, ANWB, ACI, OEAMTC, RACE, TCB & TCS. The Group entered new fields of activities, with the ambition to sustain the electrical shift, delivering mobility solutions and connected services enlarging its geographical scope.

Contacts

Lynk & Co Media Contact
Cecilia Hedlund
cecilia.hedlund@lynkco.com

ARC Europe Group Media Contact
Antoine Aubry
antoine.aubry@arceurope.com

ACTA new commercial brand becomes ARC Europe France

Starter24 becomes ARC Europe Polska

Today ARC Europe is reaching an important milestone in its transformation process initiated in 2016 with the acquisition of 100% of the shares of Assistance companies in Poland, France, Russia, Greece, and the launch of ARC Europe insurance brokerage company.

As of the 8^th of June, companies in Poland and France will operate under one brand – ARC Europe. Therefore, ACTA will commercialise its mobility services under the name ARC Europe France, and Starter24 under the name ARC Europe Polska.

Animated by its recent successes, delivering customer care and assistance services for OEMs electric vehicle range, and its capacity to deliver data-driven services such as bCall, eCall, SVT, and predictive and preventive assistance through one platform, the 700 employees company across 5 countries is pursuing its evolution as mobility platform provider for the automotive industry.

ARC Europe engaged an important transformation process, making the best use of its existing assets to enhance its competitiveness and deliver a digital assistance experience to its B2B and B2B2C partners, and by onboarding new profiles and skills such as data scientist and software engineer, to deliver connected services, enhancing road safety and proactively deliver assistance solutions based on vehicle alerts.

“The current pandemic challenged our industry but also boosted some of our key strategic investments on electric and connected services, and on our positive assistance solutions, based on data analysis and predict and prevent solutions , emphasizes Stefano SARTI, Managing Director of ARC Europe. “Our strategic plans initiated 2016 are becoming the new normal and acting as one mobility platform provider will enhance our capacity to leverage our existing collaboration with OEMs, and develop our collaboration with different players on the mobility ecosystem,  such as big dealer organisations, , spare parts providers, insurance and Leasing companies, mobility infrastructure providers, to assist them in their own transformation”.

It is also a new chapter in the history of ACTA. Over the last 20 years, the company has gone a long way from a local roadside assistance company to one of the market leaders, operating within the international Group. “It’s a major step for ARC Europe France and our business partners to strengthen our development on the French market and be fully identified as a part of the international company supported by major European Automobile Clubs”, says Raphael GUIGNIER, CEO of ARC Europe France. Same spirit is shared by the CEO of ARC Europe Polska, Marek ZEFIRIAN: “It will enhance our capacity to invest and benefit from the synergies the group can create within their diversified structure. We strongly believe that thanks to the common identity we will improve our agility to better respond to new business challenges and changing needs of our Clients and Partners”.

The current rise from ARC Europe’s B2B partners requirements demonstrates the need to connect with the entire aftersales ecosystem and moving as one brand is the initial step to be recognised as one global platform by our strategic partners.

RACE’s CEO, Jorge F. Delgado, appointed Board adviser to the largest independent Russian Roadside Assistance company

The Russian AutoMotoClub (RAMC), roadside assistance company, it is a subsidiary of the largest European roadside assistance and mobility organization, the ARC Europe Group, being RACE a founding member for almost 30 years.

The Board of Directors of RAMC (Russian AutoMotoClub), which is the largest independent roadside assistance company in the Russian Federation, has appointed RACE’s CEO, Jorge F. Delgado as Strategic Board Adviser.

One of the main reasons which led the Russian company to make this decision, was to take advantage of the accumulated experience of RACE, as the first roadside assistance company in Spain, with its more than 10 million partners and customers, in the areas of digital transformation, efficiency generation, as well as strategic business development.

After his appointment, RACE’s CEO has stated that: “This incorporation to the Board of RAMC, is one more example of RACE’s influence in the market of mobility assistance in Europe, equally by the size of our business, as by the leadership in the quality of our service provision, supported by the absolute superiority of our technological proposal”.

References:

https://www.race.es/area-de-prensa/nombramento-jorge-f-delgado-consejero-de-RAMC

Media Contact:

Diana Dumois

Head of Corporate Communication & Public Relations

diana.dumois@arceurope.com

Anticipating future customer demand for the digitalization of mobility services, ARC Europe and HERE Mobility are partnering in order to explore the solution of offering a Taxi through a mobility marketplace in the context of roadside assistance.

Following the successful launch of the Smart Roadside Assistance (RSA) services to major OEMS in the European market, ARC Europe is taking the lead in integrating Digital Taxi solutions in its digital assistance ecosystem.

The scope of this partnership is to deliver an additional mobility solution, by offering taxi services in order to keep drivers mobile after an incident occurs.

ARC Europe group aims to integrate in its digital ecosystem a simple and seamless pan European solution, which will complement the Digital Roadside Assistance process.

Thus, following an incident, the beneficiary will be able to not only request and track the assistance patrol vehicle from any digital interface (smartphone or car dashboard), but also to request, book and track a Taxi in real time.

The HERE Mobility Marketplace is a global and open platform that aggregates all transportation options in real time, including taxis, private hires, and public transport worldwide. Through the HERE Mobility Marketplace, ARC Europe can provide smooth and reliable end-to-end transportation services to their customers, managing all customer requests via a single, streamlined dashboard.

“We are proud to partner with ARC Europe to add the HERE Mobility Marketplace to their services,” said Liad Itzhak, SVP, Head of HERE Mobility. “This partnership enables us to provide ARC Europe’s customers the added value of a seamless, safe ride according to their needs.”

Stefano Sarti, Managing Director stated that: “We identified the strategic similarities we both have in our fields. Our main B2B customers are car manufacturers in Europe facing digital transformation, moving from car ownership to car usage and looking for a convenient experience also in the assistance context.

We believe that our partnership with HERE Mobility and the accessibility via the HERE Mobility Marketplace will facilitate such transformation.”

About HERE Mobility

HERE Mobility is the mobility business unit of HERE Technologies, aiming to democratize the mobility ecosystem in order to achieve mobility efficiency. With its cutting-edge technology, HERE Mobility has created an open and competitive smart mobility marketplace for all transportation services, connecting mobility supply and demand in real-time to empower people and businesses worldwide.

By providing the right tools and technologies, HERE Mobility makes mobility easy to use and accessible for everyone worldwide. Since HERE Mobility’s launch in January 2018, transportation suppliers from over 500 cities in Europe, the U.S., and Latin America have joined the HERE Mobility Marketplace, with a total of more than 2 million vehicles. The HERE Mobility Marketplace is already operational in dozens of cities worldwide including LA, Amsterdam, Athens, and Barcelona and is expected to open in over 100 cities in 2019. Learn more.

About ARC Europe Group

ARC Europe Group is the largest supplier of B2B roadside assistance services in Europe with an outstanding network in more than 40 European countries. The Group shareholders are the major automobile clubs in Europe: ADAC, The AA, ANWB, ACI, OEAMTC, RACE, TCB & TCS.

The Group entered new fields of activities, with the ambition to sustain the electrical shift, delivering mobility solutions and connected services enlarging its geographical scope.

HERE Mobility Media Contact

Allison Grey

Headline Media

allison@headline.media

+1.323.283.8176

ARC Europe Group Media Contact

Diana Dumois

Head of Corporate Communication & PR

Diana.dumois@arceurope.com

https://www.arceurope.com

From 1 to 4 October, FIA Region I and ARC Europe Group organised the annual Road Patrol Training for Excellence. 20 road patrol teams from 19 European countries gathered to test their road assistance abilities and learn best practice to help motorists get back on the road.

After extensive training and competition, ADAC (Germany) won the title of Road Patrol Team of the Year. AMZS (Slovenia) came second, and ÖAMTC (Austria) third.

FIA Region I President, Mr Thomas Møller Thomsen said: “Clubs participation to this event means a lot. It means they are committed to constant learning in order to bring Club members the best roadside assistance on the market”.

Stefano Sarti, Managing Director of ARC Europe Group, said: “The evolution of the existing car park, in addition to new vehicles on the road has increased in terms of connectivity & electro mobility along with different requirements to assisting them; where there is a challenge in repairing more sophisticated car breakdowns, there are opportunities for our road patrols to share, learn and experience from each other and develop new diagnostic skills for the immediate future”

The two intensive training days focused on E-mobility, from Electric Vehicles and e-bikes to charging station assistance. Teams also worked on advanced diagnostics, as well as electrical diagnostics and batteries.

The event was kindly hosted by the Koninklijke Nederlandse Toeristenbond (ANWB) in Utrecht, The Netherlands. This year, trainers came from Koninklijke Nederlandse Toeristenbond (ANWB), as well as Club Logistic Services (CLS)ex and Starter24.

ARC Europe and EVBox announce Pan-European strategic partnership to assist EV-driving customers at the charging station.

ARC Europe, the largest supplier and pioneer of B2B roadside assistance and mobility solutions in Europe, and one of the global leaders in electric vehicle charging stations EVBox, have signed a strategic partnership to enhance the electrical shift in providing charging station assistance.

The scope of the EV (electric vehicle) assistance partnership is to provide 24/7 technical support to EVBox customers across Europe; specifically, in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. This partnership is also expected to expand into France, England, Germany, Italy, and Spain in 2020.

By entering into this strategic partnership with EVBox, ARC Europe will simultaneously enhance existing call center capabilities, providing remote technical support to EVBox customers facing issues at a charging station, and provide pan-European support with knowledgeable EV specialists.

Kristof Vereenooghe, CEO of EVBox, says: “As more and more people switch to driving electric, providing the right service and road support becomes a crucial part of our offering. Our customers have to feel that no matter where they are or at what time, we will offer them the support to get back on the road. Our Pan-European collaboration with ARC Europe allows us to live up to these expectations, and we’re excited to continue expanding our European coverage.”

Strong investments from charge point operators, OEMs, and governments show a clear trend for future charge stations. An expected 1 million private and public chargers will be available in Europe as of 2020, growing to an expected 15 million by 2030.

To meet the high demand for EV chargers in Europe, the industry is estimated to spend $17 billion to meet the needs of EV drivers.

Ensuring full coverage for European EV-drivers

As the leader in the driving assistance landscape, ARC Europe’s collaboration with EVBox will extend and develop assistance services, and anticipate future customer demands as part of a natural evolution of the industry, including destinations from home to the office and along the route (roads, highways) to ensure full assistance coverage of EV-driver’s journeys.

Stefano Sarti, ARC Europe Group Managing Director said: “We will also provide assistance on the road thanks to our mobile charging modules, empowering the concept, from Home-Office-Home and on the way; we will always be behind EVBox to assist EV drivers”.

In addition Mr. Sarti mentioned: “By supporting EV drivers, we are as well helping the OEM’s and Fleet companies to enrich their stress free EV offer & peace of mind”.

In addition, the ARC Europe Group recently developed a standardized pan-European EV maintenance standard for roadside assistance by setting-up unique tooling, equipment, and training guidelines for over one thousand road patrols in the BeNeLux area. This maintenance standard currently includes electric vehicles safety measures and repair methods, allowing assistance providers to handle safely any EV incident.

About EVBox

EVBox is the leading global manufacturer of electric vehicle charging stations and charging management software. With an installed base of over 75,000 charging points across more than 55 countries worldwide, EVBox drives sustainable mobility, by bringing durable electric vehicle charging solutions to the world. Since March 2017, EVBox is a part of ENGIE. In 2018, EVBox acquired ultra-fast charging station manufacturer EVTronic.

https://evbox.com