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International Car Rental Show
People & Leadership

Hiring, training and leadership in car rental

The workforce question runs underneath every other one: who is at the counter, who is washing the cars, and who is making decisions when the market turns. This track covers recruitment realities, training as an operational advantage, and leadership under volatility.

Sessions
3
Speakers
5
Companies in the hall
0
Next edition
May 4–6, 2027
See these sessions in the programRegistration Opening Soon
What you take away

Why operators sit in People sessions

  • 01The new realities of the recruitment environment, from operators who staffed through them.
  • 02Training treated as an operating lever rather than an onboarding cost.
  • 03Leading a team when the path forward is genuinely unclear.
From the program

3 sessions on this subject

Delivered at ICRS 2026, with the abstracts as written. The 2027 program is published in full on the agenda page.

Full 2026 program
9:05 AM
10:00 AM
Keynote

Opening Keynote: Pillars of Leadership That Withstand Volatility

PeopleGrand BallroomSponsored byCopart

In today’s rapidly changing world shaped by domestic pressures and global events leaders in every industry are navigating unprecedented uncertainty. Commander Kirk Lippold, USN (Ret.), former commanding officer of the USS Cole, shares powerful lessons on…

  • Commander Kirk Lippold, U.S.S. ColeSpeaker

Track: People & Leadership

Who covers it

Speakers working on this

All speakers
Trent Gifford

Trent Gifford

CEO & Co-Founder

Sharky Laguana

Sharky Laguana

CEO

Bandago Van Rental & ACRA President

Don Lefeve

Don Lefeve

Executive Director

American Car Rental Association (ACRA)

Kate Muhwati

Kate Muhwati

Director of Rental Car Supply

Priceline

Jim Wilcox

Jim Wilcox

Jim Wilcox is the President and Owner of Wilcox & Associates, a Sandler Training & Consulting company with offices in Indiana & North Carolina. As a serial entrepreneur and a clinically trained healthcare professional, Jim brings a unique perspective and passion towards business with over 20 years of experience in sales, management/leadership and successful business start-up experience. He has consulted in several start-up companies including one of his own which he successfully grew and sold during his 10-year clinical tenure. It’s this perspective & passion that has propelled Jim and his team to success with clients and within the Sandler organization.

Other tracks

The rest of the program

Fleet & Ops

Fleet & Operations

Cost and revenue per unit, remarketing, residual value, embedded vehicle intelligence.

Tech & AI

Technology & AI

AI tools you can deploy now, agentic systems, revenue management, zero-friction rental.

Legal & Risk

Legal, Risk & Insurance

Consumer lawsuits, junk fees, ADA, data privacy, damage waivers and claims.

Growth

Growth, Pricing & Marketing

Deep discounters, OTA economics, subscription and flexible models, sales tactics.

Global

Global & International

International track, ABLA + FENALOC, franchising and cross-border growth.

Registration Opening Soon