Decisions supplement - Chauffeurs - The driving force.

(From Financial Director)

Byline: Catherine Chetwynd.

The Executive Reward Survey, published last October by employment consultants Woodrow Wyatt, revealed that less than one chief executive in four has sole use of a chauffeur. This is down on five years ago, when 33% enjoyed exclusive use of the service. Shared use of a chauffeur at chief executive level is also down, from 26% to 22%.

However, sole use of a chauffeur by all board directors has seen a marked increase - 13% against just 7% five years ago - while shared use is down, from 30% to 16%.

Today's chauffeur-driven vehicles come equipped with laptop connectivity and fax machines, allowing a full range of business activities to be carried out on board. They act as extensions of the office. As such, a chauffeur must be the silent part of the arrangement, but his discretion and powers of observation are essential to his job.

David Cabrera, vice president of British Chauffeurs Guild, set up the guild 20 years ago when he realised that chauffeurs were not aware what their job entailed. "There is a big difference between being a driver and a chauffeur," he says. "The latter should be security-aware. Taking security measures means a chauffeur always closes the door for the passenger, watches carefully in the mirrors and puts tape over the doors when he leaves the vehicle." A chauffeur is an integral ...