The Women in Fleet profile series introduces fleet managers to some of the most influential women in fleet. Every month, we get to know another positive force in the fleet industry. 

This month, we spoke with Rosemary Times, vendor credentialing and U.S. fleet manager for Celgene. 

Getting into Fleet

Times started her career in fleet in 2008. Before joining the fleet industry, she was a manager at AT&T Communications for 21 years, serving 15 years in billing and heavily involved in the design of the 1-800 implementation services. 

In 2008, after what was supposed to be a two-week temp job with the company, Times was hired by inVentiv Health (now part of Syneos Health) as a dedicated fleet analyst. There, her fleet career began. 

“Like most, I landed in the industry by chance, but it was here that I developed my passion for fleet,” Times said. 

In 2013, Times joined Celgene, a global biopharmaceutical company, as a contractor and was hired on fully in 2014. 

“I spend my time reviewing the fleet program, recommending strategies for updates to policies and procedures, and identifying cost management and driver productivity opportunity areas,” she explained. 

During her time at Celgene, the fleet program evolved, and she was awarded by fleet management company, Wheels Inc., for “Fleet Administrative Ease and Risk Mitigation Improvements.”

Times partnered with fleet leasing companies and automotive manufacturers to help improve vehicles utilized by fleet services and field sales associates. 

“I also initiated driver safety programs that have steadily reduced the percentage of accidents despite fleet’s growth over the past five years,” she explained. 

Times recently became a member of the Women in Fleet Management (WIFM) mentorship program. She is branded for advising others on new perspectives and opportunities to build processes and put them in place to assist colleagues in the industry. She is an active participant in the AFLA Membership Task Force and NAFA New Jersey chapter meetings.

Advice from Times? “I like the word together. Together is what we need when we hit those difficult patches in life. When life begins to make you cry, it should never be done alone!” Times said.“No relationship is perfect, but when you put together two very strong-willed people with vast differences in approaches, it is not about perfection but about choosing to be a match — or a team.” 

Get to Know Me

Experience is only part of our story and what someone likes to read, watch, and listen to can help paint a fuller picture of their personality. Here are some of Times’ favorites: 

• Book: “Every single book that was written by Sidney Sheldon,” she said.

• Movie: “The Great Gatsby from 1974,” Times said.

• Song: “There’s nothing like listening to the silky soul voice of Michael Franks, George Benson, hearing David Sanborn blow his saxophone, or listening to the late great Al Jarreau’s We Got By,” she said. 

• You May Not Know: “I have a passion for home decorating, event planning, spending time with my grandchildren, and taking long nature walks,” Times concluded.