How do you scale rapidly from 200 to 800 developers without compromising quality? Ayvens (formerly LeasePlan) faced exactly that challenge: transitioning from local IT silos to a global API-first platform, in the context of increasing competition and a rapidly evolving mobility landscape. In collaboration with NetRom Software, the company accelerated product launches and established a foundation for sustainable digital growth. This case illustrates how pragmatic collaboration and T-shaped expertise made this possible.
The mobility sector is undergoing significant change. Ownership is shifting toward usage-based models, multimodal solutions are becoming standard, and platform providers are challenging traditional players. Ayvens is a global leader in sustainable mobility, formed through the acquisition of LeasePlan by ALD Automotive in May 2023. Together, they manage 3.4 million vehicles, including 505,000 electric vehicles, supported by 15,700 employees across 42 countries.
Marco van Velthoven, CTO ad interim at LeasePlan, was responsible for engineering and software development. He explained: “With 6,500 employees across 28 countries, LeasePlan had an ambitious innovation agenda focused on global digital transformation.” The company needed to maintain its leading position as a corporate mobility provider, while platform-based competitors and original equipment manufacturers without legacy constraints were increasingly entering the market.
Van Velthoven added: “We aimed to transition from a federated model with local IT systems to a global digital platform, based on standardized architectures, headless applications (where the front-end is decoupled from the back-end), and an API-first strategy.”
“To execute this transformation, we needed to scale our development capacity rapidly.”
‘‘What stood out to me most was the pragmatism. The people are supportive, and the organization is relatively flat and transparent.’’
MARCO VAN VELTHOVEN, CTO (AD INTERIM) AT LEASEPLAN/AYVENS
LeasePlan aimed to scale rapidly from 200 to 800 developers. Its sourcing strategy focused on risk diversification across multiple partners, including NetRom Software. Marco van Velthoven explained: “I was already familiar with NetRom Software from a previous role. What stood out to me most was their pragmatism. The people are supportive, and the organization is relatively flat and transparent.”
The collaboration began shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic. NetRom Software was engaged for specific areas, such as applications used by account managers to support sustainable mobility solutions. Van Velthoven emphasized: “These are applications that are essential to our current business.” The teams worked in sprints, with daily stand-ups and regular reviews.
In contrast to the traditional role-based structure at LeasePlan, NetRom Software applies a full-stack approach using T-shaped professionals—individuals with deep expertise in one area and broader capabilities across front-end, back-end, and database management. Van Velthoven noted: “If we had maintained strict functional separation, we would have needed a significantly larger team. The full-stack approach accelerates the peer review process and reduces the number of handovers.”
LeasePlan also gained valuable insights into talent development. NetRom Software places strong emphasis on developing junior talent, engagement, and continuous learning. As Van Velthoven put it: “You also need motivated junior developers who can execute the work—having only top-level experts in a team does not necessarily improve overall performance.”
LeasePlan scaled its development capacity from 200 to 800 professionals, with expertise in technologies such as .NET, React, Sitecore, Java, Salesforce, SAP, Pega, and various support tools. Following the acquisition by ALD Automotive, the focus shifted toward integration, which is expected to be completed by mid-2026.
Marco van Velthoven stated: “Despite the integration, our collaboration with NetRom Software has remained stable. NetRom Software now plays a critical role in maintaining specific customer-facing applications. We see NetRom Software as a long-term partner. We are very satisfied with the cost-effectiveness, the people, and their overall approach.”
Following the integration, innovation initiatives such as artificial intelligence, data-driven retention programs, and proactive maintenance are high on the agenda.
Discover how NetRom, together with Ayvens, transformed local IT silos into a global API-first platform.
