Dominika Leja, associate director of fleet at AstraZeneca, has been named the 2026 Edward J. Bobit Fleet Manager of the Year.

The annual and prestigious award recognizes a fleet manager who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, innovation, and measurable results in the management of a commercial fleet. Leja was selected from four finalists for the 2026 award.

“I'm truly honored to receive this award," said Leja. "Fleet has been such an important part of my career and receiving this recognition from an industry that I respect so deeply, incredibly meaningful to me.”

Leja has more than 20 years of fleet leadership experience spanning FMC's, procurement, supplier management, and corporate fleets.

Since returning to AstraZeneca in 2023, Leja has led a major transformation of the company’s U.S. fleet, including an initiative to transition nearly 6,000 vehicles to battery-electric models.

“Over the past five years at AZ, we've successfully transitioned to over 100% EV vehicles. And let me tell you, it was not easy, there was resistance along the way. It was challenging, it was complex, but we did it.”

AstraZeneca ordered 6,235 EVs and deployed more than 5,300 as the program progressed toward full electrification. The transition extended beyond vehicle acquisition, requiring coordination across charging infrastructure, suppliers, drivers, and field operations.

Leja also worked to address charging access for employees who live in multifamily housing and rental properties, helping remove one of the barriers drivers could face during the transition.

The electrification program has resulted in $9.7 million in annual fuel cost avoidance and eliminated the use of 3.8 million gallons of fuel. The company also avoided more than 33 billion grams of CO2 emissions through the initiative.

“And if there's one thing I've learned, it's that fleet is never just about vehicle. It's about people. It's about partnerships. It's about solving complex problems, setting up principles, pivoting when necessary, and yes, occasionally doing even a bit of driver hand holding along the way.”

Leja was selected from a group of finalists that also included Jen VrMeer, senior manager, sales operations at Becton, Dickinson and Company; Linda Ellis, fleet lead Americas, global procurement at UCB; and Ron McGuigan, director of fleet at TurnPoint Services.

“That's what I love about Fleet. There's always another challenge to solve, another opportunity to improve, and another way to make the driver experience better.” Leja said. “Thank you for trusting me, thank you for challenging me, and thank you for partnering with me. Thank you for making this industry feel like a community and quite honestly like family. I'm incredibly proud of what we've accomplished together.”