Pedro Torres

Aerial platform specialist Riwal recently appointed Pedro Torres as its CEO. We asked him a few questions to get better acquainted with the company's new leader.

FLA: Prior to this appointment, what has been your biggest achievement?
PT: During the last few years, Riwal has received the most prestigious awards in the rental business worldwide, such as Rental Company of the Year (European Rental Association, 2016), Access Rental Company of the Year (IAPA, 2017) and Customer and Market Engagement Award (European Business Awards, 2018). We are very proud since we made an incredible turnaround at Riwal during the last five years.
Personally, my biggest achievement has been my professional growth during the last seven years. Being Spanish, I have been able to grow and transform myself into a global leader, giving me the opportunity to become the CEO of a Dutch multinational company.

FLA: What excites you most about the materials handling industry?
PT: I really enjoy working in the rental of materials handling equipment. It is a very dynamic environment, where you have to handle an exciting combination of working with urgency, making operational and data-driven decisions and balancing the very large commercial component.
The rental industry is a yield management business where you have to provide a great value proposition to your customers.

FLA: What is the most significant change you have seen in the industry in your time?
PT: At Riwal, we created The Riwal Way (TRW), a continuous improvement program that transformed the culture of the company. Through TRW we have been able to provide an excellent added-value proposition to our customer.
The largest change that I have seen in the last two or three years is pressure on pricing in the market. This is the main reason for our deeper investments in the TRW program and the investments in digital innovations like our My Riwal customer portal and rental app to distinguish us from the competition and keep the rental margins.

FLA: What is the biggest opportunity that you see in the new role?
PT: As stated before, we transformed Riwal into a more professional and structured company in the last five years. We have an incredible opportunity to be a relevant player in all of our markets and lead the transformation that will occur in the next years in our industry, in terms of digitalisation and sustainability.

FLA: Can you share one piece of information about yourself which would surprise our readers?
PT: I am a paddle tennis fanatic, which is a very well-known sport in my home country, Spain. I have played this sport for many years, competing since I was young. Nowadays, I also play in the Netherlands since the sport is also becoming more and more popular in the country.