Automated imaging company Black Widow has named automotive industry veteran Steve Greenfield as board director.
Greenfield, who brings more than 20 years of automotive technology experience to his new role, will advise Black Widow on strategy, business development and marketing. Black Widow offers a drive-through camera system that blends images and 360-degree virtual tours.
He is currently chief executive officer and founder of Automotive Ventures LLC, an automotive technology advisory company that advises entrepreneurs looking to raise money and boost the value of their companies.
Greenfield also helps PE firms conduct due diligence on automotive technology acquisitions. He provides strategy advice to technology chief executive officers, and he helps represent sellers at time of sale.
Before serving in his current role, Greenfield was senior vice president of strategy and business development for TrueCar and vice president of product management and business development for Autotrader, overseeing the acquisitions of vAuto, Kelley Blue Book, HomeNet Automotive, VinSolutions and DealerScience.
Greenfield served as Manheim’s director of international development earlier in his career. In that post, he oversaw Manheim’s overseas investments, which included establishing new joint ventures in Dubai, Istanbul and Beijing.
He started his career in 1999 selling software to car dealers. Since then, he has overseen more than $1 billion in automotive technology acquisitions.
“The wholesale auction business is benefiting from multiple new innovations that enhance the buyer and seller experience and virtualize the transaction to allow the remote bidder to be on equal footing with the in-lane bidder,” Greenfield said in a news release.
He continued, “Black Widow is uniquely positioned to help auction players become dramatically more efficient, as well as enhance the quality, consistency and timeliness of the online experience delivered to their dealers.”
Greenfield in his spare time serves as president of the Emory University Alumni board, on the board of the Emory Impact Investment Group and the board of the Emory Entrepreneur Network. He serves as a board member of T-Drill and Community Consulting Teams Atlanta, a non-profit providing pro-bono management consulting services to small Atlanta-area non-profits.
“We are thrilled to have one of the best in the business join our team,” said Black Widow chief executive officer Jason Hauk.
Hauk continued, “Steve’s counsel and expertise in the technology automotive sector and his deep knowledge of the auction business will further accelerate the tremendous momentum we’re experiencing at Black Widow.”
Black Book has added Susan Moritz to its sales leadership team, in the position of vice president of data licensing.
Moritz has held leadership positions at KAR Global and Cox Automotive, among other companies.
Moritz began her automotive career almost 30 years ago and has held management positions in various automotive verticals.
Those include posts at franchise and independent automotive dealerships, salvage and whole car auctions, independent floorplan providers, and logistics and transportation companies along with SaaS and F&I service providers.
“Our customers need flexible solutions to drive their business,” Black Book executive vice president of revenue, Jared Kalfus, said in a news release.
Kalfus continued, “With the addition of Susan and her broad automotive and automotive finance background, Black Book reaffirms its commitment to understanding industry needs so that customers can reduce their risk, increase their profitability, and fuel their growth.”
“It is an exciting time to join Black Book,” Moritz said.
She continued, “Black Book’s advancements in data, analytics and market analysis is truly cutting edge, and benefitting the industry as a whole, and I’m looking forward to this great opportunity to help continue its growth.”
In 2016, Moritz was a “Women of Remarketing” honoree.
TrueCar has its official president and chief executive officer.
Mike Darrow, who has been TrueCar’s interim president and CEO since May 31, was named to the position Tuesday.
Darrow, who has been with TrueCar for three years, will join the company’s board of directors, as well.
He took on the interim post last spring, replacing the retiring Chip Perry, who had been president and CEO. Darrow had previously been executive vice president of OEM and affinity partner development, in addition to serving as president of the ALG subsidiary at TrueCar.
“Mike is a proven leader at TrueCar and within the automotive industry with over 30 years of experience at OEMs and other third-party automotive providers,” TrueCar board chairman Christopher Claus said in a news release. “We’re excited to start a bright new chapter for TrueCar with Mike’s strong and steady leadership at the helm.”
Darrow added: “I’m extremely humbled and honored at the opportunity to lead this talented group of TrueCar employees. I’m so proud of the way the company united to launch our new brand and consumer experience earlier this year, which was no small feat. I look forward to working with the team as we continue to innovate and deliver a modern and world-class car buying experience that appeals to consumers and dealers alike.”
Perry was named TrueCar’s president and CEO in late 2015, taking over for Scott Painter. He retired in spring 2019. Darrow then took on the interim leadership role.
Black Book made three executive promotions on Monday, broadening the leadership roles of Alex Yurchenko, Laura Wehunt and Kyle Luck.
Meanwhile, Anil Goyal, who had been Black Book’s executive vice president of operations, announced via LinkedIn on Sunday that he was returning to Corserv Solutions as its president.
Goyal was a co-founder of Corserv and had served as its chief operating officer and chief financial officer during his five previous years there.
As for the Black Book executive moves, Yurchenko was named senior vice president of data science, with responsibilities in both the U.S. and Canada. His latest post was as VP of data science, leading data science and analytics in the U.S.
Black Book named Wehunt to the role of vice president, automotive valuations. Wehunt, who was previously Black Book’s principal automotive analyst, will head up the setting of wholesale and residual values in the U.S.
Meanwhile, Luck was named vice president of product management, with U.S. and Canadian responsibilities. His most recent post was as director of product management for the U.S.
Black Book president Tom Cross commented on each of the promotions in a news release.
- “I am delighted to announce Alex’s promotion and expanded role. Under his leadership, Black Book has developed significant new capabilities in machine learning, data modeling and predictive forecasting. Alex and his team made possible the development of several recent product successes including Black Book’s History Adjusted Values which have received wide industry acclaim and Enhanced Vehicle Matching, a precise VIN-level identification process powered by machine learning.”
- “Laura grew up in an automotive family and has a deep understanding of wholesale markets,” Cross said. “Her industry knowledge, analytical background and belief in the power of enhanced decisioning through machine learning makes her the perfect person to lead our valuation team. I am very pleased to announce her well-deserved promotion.”
- “Kyle has demonstrated the ability to successfully develop and execute against product plans over his time with Black Book and it gives me great pleasure to announce his promotion and expanded role,” Cross said. “His visceral understanding of customer needs has led to the creation of several successful products including History Adjusted Values and Enhanced Vehicle Matching.”
Cross added: “We are fortunate to have a deep talent bench at Black Book and I look forward to working closely with Alex, Laura and Kyle to best serve our customers and accelerate our growth.”
Motormindz, an automotive consultancy that serves OEMs, technology providers, mobility and automotive retail, added two former FCA and Ford executives to its team.
One of those new additions is Steve Beahm, former FCA senior vice president, head of Maserati, passenger car brands and Mopar.
The second is Joe Bakaj, former vice president, product development, for Ford of Europe.
“I'm humbled to be working with respected leaders like John Felice, Don Johnson and Jim O'Sullivan, just to name a few of the leaders on the motormindz bench,” Beahm said in a news release.
For 32 years at Chrysler/FCA, Beahm was viewed as a strategic leader with a track record in the industrial and commercial organizations, according to motormindz.
Beahm started out working in various regional offices, where his leadership roles were in the areas of service, parts, sales and marketing.
He was promoted to vice president of sales for all FCA brands in 2009, and according to motormindz, FCA was the fastest-growing OEM in the United States during Beahm’s tenure.
Beahm joined FCA’s leadership team in 2014 as senior vice president of supply chain. In that post, he served on the commercial, product and industrial committees. In addition, in 2015 he earned the honor of North American supply chain executive of the year.
Beahm also ran Maserati North America, and he moved the headquarters to Auburn Hills, Mich., with the other FCA brands.
At the end of his tenure with FCA, he ran all passenger car brands (Dodge, Chrysler and FIAT) along with Mopar, FCA’s service and parts organization. He was in that leadership post when Dodge introduced the Redeye and Mopar launched the 1,000-horsepower Hellephant.
“I am excited to join a team of industry peers that are all focused on innovation and delivering game changing solutions to our industry,” Beahm said.
As for Bakaj, motormindz says he was recognized as a leading auto industry global product development executive during his 34 years at Ford Motor Co.
He began his career in Ford’s U.K.-based product development center at Dunton. He went on to progress through management roles in Ford of Europe Powertrain, Chassis and Vehicle Engineering.
In 2000, Bakaj came to North America as vehicle engineering director for trucks.
He led vehicle engineering for the F-150, which won the North American International Autoshow Truck of the Year during his tenure.
He moved on in 2002 to lead Mazda’s Japan-based global product development team. Returning to Europe in 2005, he was appointed a corporate officer and vice president, product development. In that post, he led Ford’s first wave of global programs.
Bakaj was appointed vice president global powertrain in 2011, and in that position he initiated and co-chaired Ford’s global CO2 strategy forum. He also developed and implemented Ford’s next-generation engine, transmission and electrification strategies.
He would go on to lead the development of the 1.0L, 3-cylinder EcoBoost engine, which won the International Engine of the Year award for six consecutive years, according to motormindz.
He took on an expanded role in 2013 as vice president product development.
In that post, he led the planning and development of Ford’s latest C car platform.
He also played a leading role for the Transit Commercial vehicle line.
Bakaj also led the strategic planning and business case development for Ford of Europe’s next-generation BEVs.
“I was really attracted to motormindz's vision and strategic approach to shaping the future of the industry, Bakaj said.
He continued, “I have worked closely with ‘mindz’ such as Jim O'Sullivan, John Felice and Bruce Coventry in the past and have great respect for their knowledge and industry insights. I am very proud to be joining the team.”
At the end of 2019, motormindz added additional members to its team:
— Mark Potesta has more than 30 years of leadership experience in innovation, global business P&Ls and sales.
Motormindz describes him as an expert in development of EE architectures and delivering “market impactful products with strong value propositions.” He has held senior vice president and chief technology officer positions, as well as additional senior executive positions at Gentherm, Panasonic, Delphi and GM.
— John Marx’s 27 years of auto-industry experience includes global product strategy and business planning executive leadership positions at the OEM and tier one levels with Ford, Visteon, Gentherm and Jabil.
“John has driven profitable growth through product portfolio innovation and new market expansion,” motormindz said.
— Barry Burris has worked globally with distributors and dealers for Nissan and Infiniti.
Motormindz said Burris’ 35 years of sales, marketing and network knowledge includes expertise in the area of integrating wholesale and front-line best practices for the best results.
— Mark Kudla’s 30 years of experience has included advising startups and working at Ford and FCA.
He was responsible for FCA’s NAFTA product portfolio. That included the 10-year product plan, “white space” initiatives and business case analysis for new programs.
“Having such impressive executives join the mission illustrates how motormindz continues to attract the largest network of automotive and technology subject-matter experts ever assembled,” said motormindz chief executive officer Jeff Van Dongen.
He continued, “These additions will help us continue to elevate, iterate, and innovate our unique model to produce ever more intelligent, viable and scalable solutions for OEMs, dealers, tiered suppliers and fleets.”
Van Dongen also said, “Bringing this kind of real-world experience, proprietary access, and operational leverage together enables us to rapidly identify and expand new product ecosystems that capitalize on the opportunities brought on by the ever-evolving automotive consumer, by helping our clients learn what they need to know, rather than repackaging what they already know.”
Sam Zales says CarGurus’ employees “are at the center of CarGurus’ success and future growth.”
Last year, Fortune named CarGurus to its “Great Places to Work” list, and the company made Computerworld’s “Best Place to Work in IT” list.
“And we are hyper-focused on supporting and developing our teams while continuing to attract world-class talent,” said Zales, who is president and chief operating officer at CarGurus, in a news release.
With that in mind, CarGurus on Tuesday announced it has appointed Andrea Eldridge as chief people officer. The company said that in the new role, Eldridge will oversee all “people operations” at the company.
That includes areas such as talent acquisition and management, diversity, equity and inclusion, leadership development and total rewards.
CarGurus, which has also ranked on Boston Business Journal’s Best Places to Work list for the past five years, said Eldridge’s experience includes use of a customer-centric and data-driven approach to talent management. Her focus in that area is on employee experience and organizational strategy.
Eldridge was previously with education and technology company Cengage Learning as senior vice president of talent and employee experience.
In that post, she oversaw “the full employee journey,” which includes talent acquisition, employee engagement, internal communications, culture, inclusion and diversity, and learning and leadership development.
Before her time at Cengage, she was with global grocery retailer Ahold USA, serving in various leadership positions in talent and general management. She also worked in marketing for global marketing and technology agency, Digitas.
automotiveMastermind launched its Market EyeQ sales platform last year, and the company’s founder and co-chief executive officer Johannes Gnauck said the company wanted to continue its focus on technology and service.
“We knew we needed key individuals to help us focus on building our product,” Gnauck said in a news release.
With that in mind, the company has hired four new executives to support what it says is “growing customer demand.”
“These individuals offer a unique perspective that will be essential in helping us continue structuring our platform to meet the needs of our niche dealer and consumer base, ultimately helping them sell more vehicles,” Gnauck said.
The individuals are Joseph Kacala, who was hired as a chief product officer; Chris Long, vice president, product; Tushar Manglik, vice president, software engineering; and Yong Li, vice president, architecture.
Kacala’s more than 25 years in the automotive industry includes experience in dealership software product management, marketing, business development and strategic partnerships.
He will help lead expansion efforts for Market EyeQ into new partnerships with dealerships and OEMs. The company said the expansion will help boost sales and profitability during what it says is a crucial time for new car sales at the automaker and dealership levels.
Long’s experience is in the area of building online consumer-driven lead generation tools. The company said he will use that expertise to lead the company’s consumer product and marketing team. That will bring tools to increase ease of marketing outreach for dealers.
Manglik’s 18 years of experience in software engineering, innovation and leadership includes building and mentoring global teams with a focus on delivery of business-critical features and predictive analytics services.
Manglik will lead the effort at automotiveMastermind to build and deliver product features across all software engineering, data engineering and data science teams.
That, according to the company, will provide dealers with new Market EyeQ features.
Li’s more than 20 years of experience are in the area of product development and architecture for web, feed and editorial platforms.
In his new role, he will be responsible for establishing architecture for the organization’s expansion, and he will work with the product and engineering teams to manage what the company describes as “high-priority, client-focused solutions.”
The company describes Market EyeQ as “the single sales platform to identify, communicate with and close every buyer in a local market.”
“These individuals offer a unique perspective that will be essential in helping us continue structuring our platform to meet the needs of our niche dealer and consumer base, ultimately helping them sell more vehicles,” Gnauck said.
As new vice president of sales and performance management for data and solutions provider Market Scan Information Systems, Joey Imparato will oversee sales strategy, product launch and dealership performance of Market Scan’s new digital retailing products.
The company will release the products, mDesking 360 and mDrive SYNC, at the upcoming NADA show. The products help dealers control all aspects of the consumer’s car buying journey, from online search through vehicle sale and delivery.
A 31-year automotive industry veteran, Imparato was one of vAuto founder Dale Pollak’s first hires.
Market Scan president and co-founder Rusty West said in a news release that Imparato “further bolsters Market Scan’s expertise and leadership position in the automotive space.”
Imparato was the top sales producer of Market Scan’s Lease Prophet product during his first stint at Market Scan 18 years ago.
“He did a wonderful job for us in the past and we are really excited to have him back,” West said.
West added, “He brings with him a tremendous amount of knowledge, energy, enthusiasm and experience. With all that we have going on, we needed a true visionary to lead our direct-to-dealer sales and retention efforts — we absolutely have one now.”
At vAuto, Imparato taught dealers how to acquire, merchandise, price and retail used vehicles to increase inventory turns, sales volumes and profitability.
Imparato also spent 13 years at Cox Automotive in positions such as director of sales, national sales manager and senior sales consultant.
Imparato is based in North Port, Fla.
“I was instantly sold on Market Scan’s new automotive digital retailing solutions, mDesking 360, mDrive SYNC and the new mDrive Mobile app,” Imparato said.
He continued, The “What Can I Drive” functionality in the app will change the way sales teams interact with customers. I’m joining the unrivaled market leader with a great history and a very bright future. Market Scan’s products have always helped solve dealers’ pain points and challenges, now more than ever.”
He added, “Market Scan’s retailing solutions better align dealers with customers throughout their shopping process. These solutions allow dealers to provide their customers a much-enhanced experience, while maximizing gross profit for dealers. I am very excited to take on this new role and to support Market Scan’s continued growth.”
DealerSocket promoted one of its executives, announcing on Tuesday that Brad Kokesh is now general manager of Inventory+, the company’s inventory management software.
Kokesh, who possesses more than 20 years of automotive industry experience, most recently served as a vice president of sales for DealerSocket. During his tenure with the company, DealerSocket said Kokesh has delivered “white-glove” customer service as he assists dealers in finding solutions to help them maximize profits across their dealership.
“Brad is a tremendous leader who knows the automotive industry inside and out. He knows that maximizing profit per day is a critical element in an inventory strategy, and he will bring that philosophy to Inventory+, helping dealers maximize profits,” said Darren Harris, executive vice president of retail solutions for DealerSocket.
“Brad’s knowledge and experience has already been an asset to our customers, as we continue to innovate the best inventory management software in the market,” Harris continued in a news release.
Before joining DealerSocket, Kokesh spent more than 13 years at Cox Automotive’s Dealertrack, including a time as vice president of sales, managing product sales across the software lifecycle of a dealership.
DealerSocket noted that Kokesh has a deep understanding of the auto industry, having served in leadership roles for multiple dealership groups in the Midwest. His valuable perspective of working in dealerships for years enables Kokesh to understand what dealers need and expect from a software provider.
“Inventory management is overrun with terms like ‘the velocity of turning inventory’ at our competitors, instead of what we believe in, which is utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning in our software to manage inventory smarter with better insights,” Kokesh said. “The impact of the competition’s philosophy has been that retail sales margins are down more than ever before, hurting the dealer’s bottom line.
“DealerSocket’s Inventory+ has stayed true to its founding strategy: source right, price right, turn correct inventory, and focus on ‘profit per day,’” he said “There is no need to change the strategy every year. DealerSocket’s newest releases at NADA will help dealers source, price and turn with greater profit than ever before.”
Kokesh will be speaking at DealerSocket’s NADA booth on Feb. 15-17 in Las Vegas. To sign up or learn more, visit www.dealersocket.com/nada.
Becky Sheehan, who has served as chief financial officer of Cars.com since January 2017, has resigned her position to pursue a new opportunity with a private equity portfolio company.
The company appointed vice president of treasury and investor relations Jandy Tomy to serve as interim chief financial officer.
Sheehan’s resignation is effective Jan. 10.
CARS chief executive officer Alex Vetter said Sheehan built a strong finance organization in preparation of CARS becoming a standalone publicly traded company in 2017. Vetter said she has "continued to develop a deep bench of talented finance executives.”
“Becky was also instrumental in the transformation of CARS expanding from a traditional listings business to a full-service marketing and solutions provider that enables our dealer and OEM customers to compete in an increasingly digital market,” Vetter said in a news release.
He added, “We thank Becky for her dedication and wish her well in future endeavors."
Sheehan said she was proud of what CARS accomplished in what she described as a period of rapid transformation.
“The company is well positioned to deliver on its strategic plans and to continue its financial strength,” Sheehan said.
She continued, “I am grateful for the opportunity to have partnered with Alex and to have worked with so many talented colleagues.”
Tomy has been at CARS since March 2017, with more than 20 years of public company financial and accounting experience. The company has retained a search firm to fill the permanent chief financial officer position.
