Allied Credit, specialist financier for the motorcycling and marine sectors, has appointed a new chief executive and revamped its management team in a bid to expand its motor vehicle finance business. With this strategy in mind, the former managing director of Macquarie Leasing, Jon Moodie, was named as Allied Credit's CEO last week. Moodie said he was keen to build another car leasing business after 13 years at Macquarie, the last five as MD. Consequently, Matt Stevens, one of the company's founders, is to move from CEO to deputy CEO, taking on the responsibilities of chief information officer and chief risk officer. Another of Allied Credit's founders, Richard Harding, will focus on managing major relationships, the company stated in a media release outlining the changes. Moodie noted that the car finance sector offers greater potential for growth as it's a much larger market than marine, motorcycles and other areas of asset finance where Allied has prospered. "The opportunity is there for us, particularly with our partnership model, to make ourselves into a significant player in the market," Moodie said. "Under the partnership model a separate finance company is formed with Allied Credit and the dealer contributing equally, so both sides are aligned in their desire to grow it safely and carefully - it's a mutually beneficial model. "Because [other party] is a large player, we are able to provide a joint venture option. This is something we've also done in the motorcycle and marine market, when the player is large enough - it could be the manufacturer, importer or a dealer group." The first target for Allied Credit to bring aboard is "a large player in the car dealer market", although Moodie was unwilling to identify the company he has in mind. The joint venture model certainly changes the conversation in that it aligns the interests of what are quite often disparate groups.  We certainly see some benefits in going down that path. It does require large dealer groups or import-export, or manufacturer groups. Moodie said that, over time, with the motor vehicle market being so large in comparison to the Allied market, there will inevitably be a change in the mix. "But the motorcycle, marine, powersports and leisure market was where we started and where the DNA of the company came from and it's where we learned our trade. It's where the partnership model was born. Certainly will be looking to expand that as well as moving into new markets. Nor is Moodie fazed by the low interest rate environment: "We see as a positive anything that increases a customer's ability to service the loan." Pressed on who will become his competitors when he seeks new business in the motor vehicle dealer market, Moodie reeled off a list of