KAR Auction Services announced two additions to its management team on Monday, promoting Peter Kelly to chief technology officer and naming Lisa Price to the position of executive vice president of human resources.

Both will report directly to Jim Hallett, chief executive officer of KAR.

Kelly’s most recent position was president and CEO of OPENLANE, which KAR acquired in 2011. Meanwhile, Price was vice president of litigation and employment counsel for KAR and all of its business units.

“Peter has contributed tremendously to our ability to leverage technology to enhance our online vehicle remarketing platforms,” said Hallett.

“Technology is now an integral part of our business. We are already well-equipped with the appropriate leadership for our core business units and our technology departments,” he continued. “Now we have someone focused on where those two areas intersect in order to maximize value for our employees, our customers and our other stakeholders.”

Kelly co-founded OPENLANE in 1999 and held several executive positions in finance, operations, management and customer relations over the years for OPENLANE.

His next position was leading a successful technology integration that involved migrating all of ADESA's online business to the OPENLANE technology platform.

“Peter is a technology innovator — he has the background and the technological expertise,” said Hallett. “He is the right balance of IT and business and is uniquely positioned to apply this expertise to shape KAR's strategic direction in the areas of technology.”

His responsibilities in the new post include defining and implementing best technology practices across all business units, identifying and offering insight on appropriate technology-related investments, and tracking technology standards, industry trends and emerging technologies.

Kelly will also focus heavily on the online strategy and execution for ADESA, including OPENLANE and its customers.

“I look forward to playing an expanded role in helping shape the technology choices we make as a company,” said Kelly.

“It is an exciting time in our industry — technology is really transforming the way we do business — and creating many new opportunities in the process. I am looking forward to the challenge and to further establishing KAR's presence in the marketplace.”

As for Price, she will head up all of the human resources' functions for KAR and all its subsidiaries, including ADESA,
Insurance Auto Auctions and AFC.

Her duties include identifying and implementing best practices that enable all human resources' teams to act as a strategic partner to the company and most efficiently and effectively serve the needs of employees.

She will also focus heavily on bringing human resources, payroll and compensation departments enterprise-wide into alignment with KAR's strategic and operational goals and objectives.

“During her nearly eight years with us, Lisa has proven to be a valuable asset for KAR. She has directed everything from employment litigation and third-party liability to HR compliance matters and responses to OSHA inquires,” said Hallett.

“Lisa brings a strong background not only in employment and law to this role, but also a vast institutional knowledge of our business and our industry.”

She came over to ADESA as corporate counsel in 2005.

Before that, Price worked in private practice for six years in the areas of employment law, litigation and compliance issues. KAR indicated that Price is skilled in the areas of workers compensation, employee relations and employee benefits as well as risk management.

“I have worked closely with all our business units throughout the years and have enjoyed building strong relationships with these teams,” said Price, “I am excited by this opportunity to take KAR's human resources functions to the next level and better align these objectives with the goals of our organization as a whole.”

“Lisa truly shares my passion for supporting employees and appreciates the fact that our employees are our company's most important asset,” said Hallett. “She understands that serving the best interest of our employees crosses over to higher levels of customer service and customer satisfaction.”

Insurance Auto Auctions Upgrades App

In other news from the company, KAR subsidiary Insurance Auto Auctions announced Monday it has optimized the IAA Buyer App for the iPhone 5.

“We are committed to providing our customers with the right solutions to help them stay ahead of the curve, and mobile technology has become an integral part of this strategy. By delivering industry-leading mobile solutions, our customers can access our full suite of services while on the go,” said Tom O’Brien, CEO of IAA.

 “Our ongoing investment in innovative industry technology allows us to deliver a best-in-class customer experience for buyers.”

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