LeasePlan was founded in Amsterdam by Anton Goudsmit in 1963. The company initially leased equipment, a business model virtually unknown in the Netherlands. A few years later, Huib van der Meulen joined the young company.
Together, Anton and Huib developed the concept of transparency combined with advantageous financing. ‘Open calculation’ was born. It was so well received that it became LeasePlan's philosophy.
The company took its first international steps by opening LeasePlan Belgium in 1972, after which many offices were opened in different countries. The opening of the USA office in 1983 was the first intercontinental step for LeasePlan, closely followed by the opening of a LeasePlan office in Australia in 1988. Now LeasePlan is a multinational with a presence in 32 countries.