You will see a “more holistic, enterprise approach” in a few areas at KAR Auction Services.

The company announced Monday morning that it has created new enterprise functions and leadership roles in product development, data analytics and strategy to help drive innovation in the auction business.

“Our industry is rapidly evolving, with emerging new markets and increasing customer demand for better technology, transparency and service,” KAR chief executive officer Jim Hallett said in a news release.

“KAR’s unique end-to-end remarketing platform and integrated technology solutions position us well to lead change in this dynamic environment,” Hallett said. “Taking a more holistic, enterprise approach to these functions will help KAR better serve our customers and accelerate opportunities for growth.”

Developing these enterprise KAR functions and corresponding leadership roles will help the company leverage “the broad expertise, innovation and entrepreneurial talent across the KAR family of companies,” KAR said in the release.

The company said taking a more aligned approach to product development, data analytics and strategy will enable KAR to launch new products, services and capabilities more effectively and quickly.

“We’ve been quietly building the foundation, strengthening the foundation of that end-to-end platform,” KAR chief operating officer Don Gottwald said in a phone interview with Auto Remarketing, referring to the various companies and products that KAR offers the remarketing industry.

“And we’re in a position where that collection of assets truly provides a unique set of solutions for our customers,” he said.

“But our customers are asking and increasingly using multiple touch-points within the organization, so the series of announcements (made Monday) are around how we’re resourcing a new set of leaders, a new set of capabilities that really span the collection of KAR as opposed to one of our business units … what we’re really talking about is how, at the parent company, we’re spanning those to bring a unique set of solutions to both the sellers and the buyers at our automotive marketplaces, auctions, and their online and digital counterparts.”

In a news release, Gottwald added: “At KAR, we have a very simple and singular focus — to help our customers succeed. Our integrated platform streamlines the auction experience and delivers actionable insights that help sellers and buyers make the most informed decisions possible.

 “We have hired and promoted a proven team of industry pioneers to further empower our customers and anticipate unmet needs in the market,” he said. “Our goal is to radically expand both the scope and impact of our mobile, digital, and physical and online auction capabilities.”

Below is how that new leadership structure shakes out:

• Senior vice president of product development: Pat Walsh, who has been with KAR for almost 30 years, including senior roles with Insurance Auto Auctions and ADESA.  In the interview, Gottwald said that Walsh will “collaborate across our business units, so that the customers get the full benefit of doing business with the KAR group of companies, as opposed to a unique part of the company.”
   
• Vice president of market development: Chris Adams, who is responsible for finding opportunities to broaden KAR’s technology and capabilities portfolio to new channels, markets and geographies.

  An example of that a few years ago, Gottwald said, would have been TradeRev.

  Adams’ background includes two decades of experience in the industry, including roles with startups and companies like Pep Boys and Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
   

• Tom Kontos has been promoted to chief economist for KAR, where previously he was the chief economist for ADESA Analytical Services.  Kontos will continue doing the work he has being doing for many years at ADESA and for its customers, Gottwald said, but this work will essentially expand across the entire organization.
   
• Vice president of data as a service: Terrence Wynne, who will work closely with Kontos and the Data Science Solutions group at KAR. By doing so, his role will be to help “translate data into clear, actionable insights for sellers and buyers,” the company said. His background includes roles in data science application with companies like Audi, NADA Used Car Guide and ALG.
   
• Vice president of strategy: Joe Bannon, who will focus on aligning and prioritizing KAR investment and business decisions that expand KAR’s footprint and help customers. Bannon has been in the automotive advertising and media industries for more than 30 years, including account management, business development, operations, product, sales and strategy roles.

Lastly, when asked if this new enterprise approach would change things from a marketing or branding perspective on a public-facing basis — i.e., branding as KAR rather than individual entities — Gottwald said: “I would tell you that at this point, we’re still evaluating what makes the most sense there for our customers. We have tremendous equity in these legacy brands, so that’s a question we’re asking ourselves.”