Cherokee Media Group — parent company of Auto Remarketing, Used Car Week and related auto industry publications, events and media brands — has named an executive vice president of events and marketing.
Promoted to the newly created role is Amanda Dunlap, who has been with CMG for close to two decades, most recently as publisher.
Dunlap started with CMG in advertising sales for Cary Magazine, before moving over to ad sales within the automotive vertical.
“I’m very happy and excited to have Amanda Dunlap named to the newly-created position of executive vice president of events and marketing for Cherokee Media Group,” CMG president Bill Zadeits said.
“Amanda has been with the company more than 18 years, and has proven herself as a leader and key member of our team. Her commitment to our customers and our company is unmatched,” Zadeits said. “In this position, Amanda will continue her role as one of the members of our management team as well as leading and managing the events, marketing and design groups.”
Cherokee Media Group also congratulates Marilu McQuilkin, previously the senior director of events and marketing, on her new position as head of events at J.D. Power.
McQuilkin was with CMG for more than 14 years and was the driving force behind Used Car Week, Auto Intel Summit, the Auto Remarketing Canada Conference, the Women & Automotive Canadian Leadership Forum and several events within CMG’s local lifestyle publication vertical.
“We’re so proud of the work Marilu has done over the course of more than 14 years on the CMG team. She has made us better in innumerable ways and we are forever grateful,” Zadeits said. “We are also incredibly happy for this big step in her career with one of the great brands and companies in the auto industry.”
CMG has two digital conferences this summer — Auto Remarketing Canada (July 20-21) and Women & Automotive (Aug. 19-20) — before returning to in-person events this fall with Used Car Week, which is being held Nov. 15-19 at Red Rock in Las Vegas.
“I am thrilled to take on this new role at Cherokee Media Group. I have loved being part of growing out industry-leading events. I am committed to continue the path of excellence our company has established,” Dunlap said.
“My previous time with the company gave me the opportunity to build incredible relationships with our industry partners,” she said. “And now leading our events team, those relationships will be cultivated even more, as Cherokee Media Group strives to deliver a best-in-class experience for attendees, exhibitors and sponsors during each event.”
Fleet management company Donlen has named a new director of remarketing.
Hired for the position is Larry Knapp, whose background includes time with BMW Financial, UB Vehicle Leasing, Hertz and Mercedes-Benz Financial and Black Book.
“We have a real opportunity to reshape the lifecycle of the vehicle by creating additional channels for customers to sell leased vehicles,” Knapp said in a news release.
In his new post, Knapp has launched RemarketingAdvantage, which provides a resale alternative for consumers
LMP Automotive Holdings has named a new chief financial officer, promoting senior corporate controller Robert Bellaflores to the role.
Bellaflores has held that position since April, and was a senior-level executive in the projects division at Steven Douglas & Associates before joining LMP. He had been there since 2006.
Bellaflores’ background also includes time as controller for several public and private companies prior to joining Steven Douglas.
LMP chairman and chief executive officer Sam Tawfik said in a news release, “I, on behalf of myself and LMP’s board of directors, would like to congratulate Mr. Bellaflores for earning the role as CFO.
“Robert has demonstrated his diverse experience and in-depth knowledge of accounting operations, including managing projects and functions relating to all aspects of GAAP, audit and internal controls, budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis and research, internal and external financial reporting, including SEC filings, reporting and compliance,” he said.
Tawfik added: “MP plans to announce additions to senior management personnel in both the accounting and operational departments in the coming weeks to accommodate its rapid growth and M&A strategy.”
TradePending, which provides vehicle valuation and merchandising software to car dealerships, has named a chief financial officer and a director of product.
Hired for the CFO post is Tom Parker, who previously held the same position at Agility Recovery.
His experience also includes time at Dun & Bradstreet, Global Compliance, CT Corporation and Kroll.
Meanwhile, the new director of product is Craige Ruffin, who was previously senior product manager at Appirio.
His background also includes time with Median Technologies, Rally Software, Amplify and ADP.
“Tom and Craige are welcome additions to our growing team,” TradePending chief executive officer Brice Englert said in a news release. “They will be instrumental in ensuring our existing business is well-positioned to continue growing. They’ll also play critical roles as we look outward to additional opportunities within automotive software.”
Shift recently created the position of chief accounting officer and filled it with an executive familiar to chief financial officer Oded Shein.
The auto ecommerce platform announced on Thursday that Jason Curtis has been appointed as chief accounting officer in a move that was effective on June 1.
In this role, Shift said Curtis will be responsible for all accounting and reporting functions to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Shift highlighted that Curtis extensive public company finance and accounting experience in the retail industry will support Shift’s rapid growth.
Most recently, Curtis served as CFO of Boscov’s, a family owned department store chain. Previously, he was CFO of Stage Stores, a public company where he also held various senior finance and accounting roles and worked closely with Shein.
“We are excited to welcome Jason as our first chief accounting officer,” Shift co-founder and co-chief executive officer Toby Russell said in a news release.
“With his years of experience leading the finance functions of public companies, Jason is a valuable addition to our management team, and this is just another step in growing our finance organization,” Russell added.
Back in February, HyreCar named a new president along with executives for the roles of chief technology officer and senior vice president of product and operations.
On Wednesday and just five days before joining the Russell 3000 Index, the carsharing marketplace for ridesharing, food, and package delivery services announced the appointment of a new chief financial officer
HyreCar said Serge De Bock will be the company’s CFO as of July 5, taking the place of Scott Brogi, who is retiring.
A seasoned finance executive, HyreCar highlighted that De Bock has a proven track record of success scaling businesses, building teams and collaborating across large and small organizations in the mobility, technology and internet space.
Most recently, De Bock was promoted to senior vice president of finance at Spin, a Ford mobility company. At Spin, he led the finance, accounting and procurement functions, spearheaded the 10-year strategic vision and financial plan, developed new incentive plans, designed new market P&L frameworks, rolled out a new P2P process and supported international expansion in four new countries.
“We are excited to have someone of Serge’s background that touches all aspects of our business, mobility as a service, technology and insurance to help us continue moving forward,” HyreCar chief executive officer Joe Furnari said in a news release.
Before that post with the Blue Oval, De Bock was head of finance at Twitch, an interactive gaming and content engine, which was acquired by Amazon. At Twitch, he scaled the finance function and instilled financial discipline during a period of rapid organizational growth.
De Bock also has been assistant vice president and senior director of strategy, finance and analytics at Liberty Mutual Insurance, where he led teams providing analytical support, strategic planning and financial reporting. He also previously held positions at Staples, Deloitte and PwC, mostly in finance, M&A and public accounting capacities.
“I am thrilled to join HyreCar’s leadership team and lead its finance organization at this important moment in their growth and development,” De Bock said.
“The unique value proposition that HyreCar brings to an emerging segment in the mobility industry, their robust ecosystem and the company’s value-driven mission reinforced my desire to bring my experience to such an exceptional opportunity,” he added.
De Bock will be replacing Brogi, who joined HyreCar in 2018. The company said Brogi quickly made an impact on all aspects of the organization, including FP&A, strategy, IR, legal, accounting and reporting to federal regulators.
During his tenure and with his leadership, HyreCar also highlighted Brogi helped establish corporate governance and public company processes that have created a strong foundation for future success.
“Scott has had an immeasurable impact on HyreCar, and his contributions will be long-felt. We wish Scott all the best in his retirement and thank him for his extraordinary leadership,” Furnari said.
Less than a week after naming an interim chief financial officer and a new addition to its board of directors, RumbleOn’s period of leadership change continued on Tuesday with the company’s outside counsel joining RumbleOn as general counsel.
According to a news release, Michael Francis has worked with RumbleOn from the beginning, leading the company’s outside legal team at Akerman LLP. Now, Francis will operate within the confines of e-commerce company that leverages technology in an effort to simplify how dealers and consumers buy, sell, trade or finance pre-owned vehicles.
Francis was a trusted legal advisor for nearly 25 years to the company’s late CFO, Steve Berrard, assisting with legal matters connected with AutoNation as well as contributing to the growth of Blockbuster and Jamba Juice.
“I have so much respect for RumbleOn’s leadership team and all they’ve accomplished, not only at RumbleOn, but in all prior endeavors,” Francis said in the news release. “I worked with Steve Berrard for nearly 25 years and I am pleased and honored to join RumbleOn as general counsel to carry out Steve’s legacy and execute on the company’s vision to transform the powersports industry.”
Francis also touched on his relationships at Ackerman, which he first joined in 1997 and served as outside counsel to numerous companies during his time with the firm.
Francis also served as in-house counsel to Lennar Corp. from 2005 to 2007 before returning to Akerman as a partner in 2008.
“I tremendously appreciate my 24 years of legal upbringing and career development at Akerman,” he said. “While saying ‘see ya later’ to great partners and good friends is difficult, the opportunity to join Marshall and the RumbleOn team is exciting and such an amazing chance to build something truly transformative.”
Francis referenced Marshall Chesrown, RumbleOn’s chairman and chief executive officer, who also described the impact Francis will have in guiding the company’s pending business combination with RideNow.
“Michael’s deep understanding of our business coupled with his long track record of success will be invaluable assets to RumbleOn as we combine with RideNow to become the first omnichannel customer experience in powersports,” Chesrown said.
“In addition to driving organic growth by combining and scaling the legacy RumbleOn and RideNow models, we will be positioned to further consolidate the highly fragmented powersports industry,” Chesrown continued. “Michael brings truly unparalleled expertise to RumbleOn and we are thrilled to welcome him to our leadership team.”
Pyle Family Auctions has hired former ADESA executive Jane Morgan as the company’s chief client officer.
Morgan started with the group, which includes Mountain State Auto Auction and Capital City Auto Auction, this month, and will head up sales growth, the client experience and operational efficiencies, Pyle Family Auctions said in a release.
Morgan’s career in the auction business goes back more than 30 years and includes several leadership positions with ADESA. Her most recent post was a president of the ADESA specialty division and off-site solutions. She also spent time as assistant general manager at ADESA Dallas, GM at ADESA Charlotte and as regional vice president of the ADESA Eastern Region.
Morgan was among the inaugural Women in Remarketing honorees in this publication back in 2009.
“I have been friends with the Pyle family for over 25 years. Their dedication to the auction industry, the NAAA and the emphasis on family, employee care and customer service and growth makes me proud and excited to be a part of their organization,” Morgan said in a news release.
Joe and Charlotte Pyle, owners of the company, added: “Jane is an industry leader with strong client relationships and we are excited to have someone of her caliber on our team. Her team-building ability and enthusiasm and understanding of the auction business makes her a perfect fit for the Pyle organization and our growth plans for the future.”
RumbleOn made a trio of executive-level moves on Thursday; one triggered by unforeseen circumstances.
According to news releases from the e-commerce company that leverages technology in an effort to simplify how dealers and consumers buy, sell, trade or finance pre-owned vehicles, RumbleOn announced that Beverly Rath will act as interim chief financial officer, effective immediately. The change follows the unexpected death of RumbleOn co-founder and CFO Steven Berrard on June 7.
The company said Rath will report to RumbleOn chairman and chief executive officer Marshall Chesrown.
The company also announced the promotion of Carlos Ramirez to assistant controller as well as the appointment of RumbleOn chief operating officer Peter Levy to its board of directors.
However, what’s top of mind at RumbleOn is the loss of Berrard.
“We are incredibly grateful for all of Steve’s contributions to RumbleOn through this period of transformative growth,” Chesrown said in one of the news releases. “Together, we accomplished a great deal over the last several years building RumbleOn, and so much more over the last 25-plus years since he co-founded AutoNation. His legacy will live on and we will honor him by executing our plan to become the first and only omnichannel powersports platform in North America.
“Steve played a critical role in the formation of RumbleOn and will be gravely missed, but I remain as confident as ever in our management team as we shepherd the pending acquisition of RideNow through the closing process,” Chesrown continued.
And part of that management team is Rath, who has served as RumbleOn’s controller since inception, guiding strategic financial decisions and has been integral to the financial health of the company. She has more than 35 years of finance and accounting experience and more than 45 years in the automobile industry.
Prior to joining RumbleOn, Rath served as controller for online vehicle retailer Vroom as well as controller for the Terry Taylor Group, a group of automotive dealerships.
“I am honored to be appointed interim CFO and look forward to contributing to RumbleOn’s future success,” Rath said.
“Steve had a powerful presence and is greatly missed by everyone he worked with, but he built a strong team around him and I will continue to lead RumbleOn’s finance team through our pending combination with RideNow, and as we embark on our next stage of growth,” she continued.
And Chesrown added, “It gives me great confidence to know such a seasoned financial executive is stepping into the role as our interim CFO. Beverly has worked alongside Steve for five years, and has been a key part of our finance organization since the beginning.”
Rath won’t have to do all of the heavy financial lifting alone now that Ramirez is the company’s assistant controller.
“I’m also pleased to announce that Carlos Ramirez was promoted to assistant controller,” Chesrown said. “Carlos has been an integral part of the finance team and will support Beverly as we grow our finance operation. I look forward to working closely with the team as we continue to execute on our existing vision, plan and strategy.”
And in the company’s other major development, Levy became part of the RumbleOn board of directors as of Thursday.
RumbleOn highlighted that Levy has compiled a 25-year distinguished career in both building and consulting technology companies. The company described him as a seasoned sales and marketing leader and has demonstrated his ability to successfully foster relationships with senior executives for IT operations, finance, sales and company building opportunities across a broad scope of industries.
“Peter has been instrumental to the evolution of RumbleOn and we are thrilled to welcome Peter to our board of directors,” Chesrown said in another news release. “Not only is he passionate about the powersports industry, but he has a deep understanding of our business and is highly respected by colleagues across both our organization and RideNow’s.
“He has worked alongside Steve, me and our entire executive team since 2017 and is a natural fit to join our Board as we enter the next stage of growth,” Chesrown added.
Levy joined RumbleOn as COO in August 2017 and has been responsible for building strong relationships with OEMs, dealers, auctions and finance partners, while leading multiple internal teams. He spearheaded the architecture of RumbleOn’s Dealer Direct platform as well as RumbleOn’s pilot program with CarGurus.
As vice president of sales and director of business development for Integrated Auction Solutions (previously AWG Remarketing), Levy played an integral role in the company’s business development and M&A initiatives. He was also responsible for building the company’s digital presence throughout the independent auction community’s 200 locations.
In 1999, RumbleOn recapped that Levy founded Automotive Remarketing Services and co-developed virtual auction processes that exist today. Previously, he served as regional manager of sales and acquisition for AutoNation.
And now Levy is on RumbleOn’s board.
“I am honored to be appointed to RumbleOn’s board of directors,” he said. “I look forward to working closely with Marshall and the entire board as we continue to execute on RumbleOn’s vision to become the only omnichannel powersports platform in North America and transform the powersports industry.”
With longtime Cox Automotive executive Janet Barnard retiring at the end of the month, the company announced on Tuesday who its new chief people officer is.
Cox Automotive said through a news release that Michele Parks is taking on this position, leading a team responsible for recruiting, developing and managing talent for more than 25 brands.
In her new role, Parks will report to Steve Rowley, president of Cox Automotive.
“I’m excited that Michele chose to join us because I believe she’s the right leader to continue the evolution of the team,” Rowley said in the news release. “She’ll ensure that the team’s vision and capabilities continue to keep pace with our fast-moving business, which will be especially important as we continue implementing our strategic growth plan.”
Previously, Parks served as senior vice president of HR service delivery at Cox Communications. The company highlighted Parks has been a key leader in COVID-related employee support efforts across the enterprise over the last 15 months and has years of expertise in employee relations, service delivery, executive development, talent management, EEOC & compliance, and recruitment.
Parks came to Cox in 2006 with experience from Walt Disney World Resorts and Charter Communications.
