Alistair Benn
Alistair has over 20 years of experience in the automotive industry. He founded MHH International in 2009 to address the demand for trusted professional car importers to serve right hand drive countries from the UK. MHH International’s growth developed quickly in Kenya, New Zealand and Thailand and has since spread to over 20 countries worldwide.
Alistair lead MHH International to be the only UK car importer to partner with leading Kenyan banks to offer asset finance. Initially launching with Fenwick Mbaka, Head of Asset Finance at Chase Bank Kenya and then expanding to NIC Bank Kenya where he launched asset finance with NIC Bank's Executive Director, Alan Dodd. In 2016 Alistair launched a partnership with with the Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA) Chief Executive Officer, Jeremy Ngunze extending the finance product to affluent Kenyans. His work has attracted the attention of many media outlets in the regions, specifically featuring in Kenya Today, Africa Business Daily, Financial Fortune Media, Banking Monthly and Genghis Capital as part of his work.
Alistair launched MHHJapaneseCars.com in 2018 in response to growing demand for Japanese car imports. The finance product was soon launched to NIC customers and CBA customers making MHH International the only car importer authorised to import cars from the UK, Japan and Australia and offer finance via their Kenyan banking partners. Here is Alan Dodd interviewed by Money Series Africa about the significance of the launch of the Japanese Cars partnership with NIC Bank. This partnership continues to go from strength to strength with Kimani Njagi, General Manager of Asset Finance at the recently merged NCBA Bank Kenya.
In March 2019 Alistair signed a new partnership with Kihara Maina. at I&M Bank Kenya to offer clients a choice for their import finance. He was interviewed by Start Up magazine in Kenya about MHH International’s growth to a leading car importer in East Africa.
Alistair’s team have recently launched a new UK business, supplying the popular Japanese MPVs; Nissan Elgrand and Toyota Alphard to the UK from Japan. MHH Cars Ltd t/a MHHJapanesecars.co.uk was founded in March 2020 and plans to bring the MHH professionalism and trademark customer service to the car importer market in the UK.
