ALD Automotive has achieved the milestone of managing one million vehicles around the world.

The vehicle leasing company reported that it finished 2013 with a fleet of 1,008,840 vehicles and annual growth of 5.6%.

The achievement comes just over a decade after entering the market in the European vehicle leasing sector. In the UK, ALD has seen significant growth over recent years and now operates a fleet of over 97,000 vehicles.

Mel Dawson, UK managing director, said: "Reaching one million vehicles is an incredible achievement for the group and we feel proud that the UK has played a significant role in helping our expansion over the last 10 years.

"Across all the 37 countries in which we operate, our growth has been built on our customer service focus and building strong partnerships.

"We’ve also striven to be one of the most innovative players in the sector when it comes to technology, particularly in areas such as telematics."

The ALD Automotive brand was launched in 2003 with the acquisition of Deutsche Bank’s vehicle leasing activities. Today, ALD is the second largest vehicle leasing company in Europe and the third largest worldwide, offering a wide ranging and innovative product mix that includes full-service leasing and fleet management to corporate and government bodies and individual consumers.

ALD has also become the market leader in white label leasing partnerships via a number of vehicle manufacturers and banking organisations.

Now present in 37 countries, with an additional three operations in North America through a partnership with Wheels, ALD has a wide-reaching international footprint.