FordDirect announced that it named former Ford Motor Co. director of U.S. sales Dianne Craig to serve as its new chief executive officer, a move that was effective Tuesday.
Craig brings more than brings 30 years of experience in automotive sales and marketing, as well as deep relationships with Ford and Lincoln dealers across the U.S. and Canada.
Prior to her role as U.S sales director at Ford, Craig also served as president and CEO of Ford of Canada. In that role, she lead Canada’s national headquarters, three regional offices, two branch offices, three vehicle assembly and manufacturing plants and two parts distribution centers.
“We’re excited to welcome Dianne to FordDirect,” FordDirect chairman Bill Keith said in a news release announcing Craig’s appointment. “The board is confident that her experience in the field, leadership and strong dealer relationships will help FordDirect continue the digital transformation to meet our mission of helping Ford and Lincoln dealers provide industry-leading sales and service to our customers.”
Since joining Ford in 1986, Craig’s background includes a variety of sales and marketing positions pertaining to advertising, field operations, product marketing and contests and incentives.
Her field experience includes serving as both a general manager for Ford's Southeast market and a regional sales manager in Pittsburgh.
“I have dedicated my career to working with our amazing Ford and Lincoln dealers,” Craig said. “I am honored to now join the FordDirect team to continue driving the business forward for the good of our dealers, our company and, most importantly, our customers.”
Cars.com has brought aboard a new senior vice president of technology to oversee company data engineering, platform engineering and mobile applications.
Chosen for the position is Fred Lee, who most recently served as chief technology officer at Gamut.com, the company announced Tuesday.
In addition to developing Gamut’s enterprise resource planning, order fulfillment and CRM, Lee oversaw engineering and technology functions, such as Gamut's front-end, API, platform, infrastructure and tech operations.
Gamut is a funded startup within Grainger, where Lee spent a year as vice president of digital architecture prior to taking on his most previous role at Gamut.
“We are excited to welcome Fred as part of the Cars' leadership team,” Cars.com chief product officer Tony Zolla said in a news release announcing Lee’s hire. “For 20 years Cars.com has been a digital trailblazer, delivering an online marketplace for car shoppers to research and connect with local auto retailers across the country while driving the industry forward.
“Fred's deep technical and architectural experience perfectly blends with his ability to transform technology platforms and accelerate growth,” Zolla continued.
Prior to joining Gamut, Lee served as CTO of Belly, a startup, where he led strategy and execution of' product, design, mobile and technology roadmaps.
Additionally, Lee also previously served as chief information officer at the financial services technology company Enova before joining Belly.
Along with managing five data centers and growing the Enova technology team of employees from 100 to 225, Lee launched eight products in six countries during his time at Enova.
In his new role, Lee has been tasked with facilitating technical strategy and innovation that supports a more personalized user experience for both consumers and advertisers.
“It is an exciting time for Cars.com, and it is a privilege to be a part of the company's next chapter,” said Lee. “When I first considered the role, I was blown away by the quality and caliber of the team — all top-notch. I look forward to learning from them and contributing to Cars' growth as we scale its world-class technology organization.”
AutoAlert has promoted an executive who has been essential to the development of the new consumer experience management (CXM) platform that the company unveiled last month.
Julian Johnston has transitioned from senior director of product consulting and sales to serve as new AutoAlert vice president of innovation and platform philosophy, company chief executive officer Mike Dullea announced in a news release Monday.
Johnston was an active player in the development of the new CXM platform released by AutoAlert at NADA Show 2018 earlier this year, according to the company. The new solution can draw insights about customers' purchasing habits, as well as predict their next vehicle purchase.
"I have worked with Julian for almost 10 years and have to come realize that he has a unique perspective on the multi-generational marketplace we have found ourselves in, as well as a remarkable way of connecting the dots that help our dealerships navigate these waters," Dullea said. "He has already had a tremendous impact on our company, and I look forward to continue working closely with him going forward."
Johnston first served as director of product consultants when he started at AutoAlert three years ago.
"Consumer expectations are moving faster than ever, and dealerships are forced to react to that moving target, which makes our goal as a partner to not only provide dealers with an immediate ROI, but to look into the future and make sure we are arming our dealers with the tools they need to have continued success going forward," Johnston said. "I am incredibly excited to continue to play a role in that mission."
Before joining AutoAlert in 2015, Johnston held management positions at Fuzecast and VinSolutions, a Cox Automotive company.
Additionally, Dullea served as VinSolutions CEO prior to joining AutoAlert. Earlier this month, he and David Marod, former VinSolutions sales executive and current automotive industry general manager at Conversica collaborated to integrate the AutoAlert CXM platform with Conversica's AI-powered sales assistant.
LotLinx announced Tuesday that founding IAB Chairman Rich LeFurgy will join the company's board of directors.
The company said LeFurgy, who has been an adviser or investor in over 60 digital advertising companies, brings expertise with programmatic data, mobile, social and AI, including over 20 years of experience in advertising.
LeFurgy currently serves as general partner and founder of Archer Advisors, an advisory services consultancy.
"I have known Rich for over 20 years and worked with him on a variety of projects," Lotlinx founding chairman and chief executive officer Len Short said in a news release announcing LeFurgy's appointment. "He has unparalleled experience and understanding of today's online advertising ecosystem, and has helped numerous marketing technology companies succeed. We are excited and eager to welcome him to our growing team."
In addition to previously serving as chairman of the board at x+1, a company that was sold to Rocket Fuel, LeFurgy was also on the board of directors of Placecast.
"I'm delighted to be working with Len again," said LeFurgy. "I was a sounding board and early investor in the company, and quite impressed by how LotLinx was early to recognize the importance of machine learning for dealers. Artificial Intelligence is clearly one of the driving forces of where online advertising is headed, and I look forward to helping the company take VIN-level marketing to the next level."
Jared Rowe is now back in the trenches of automotive marketing and with a company where his career started.
AutoWeb, which previously operated a Autobytel and a provider of digital automotive services connecting in-market car buyers with dealers and OEMs, appointed Rowe as director, president and chief executive officer on Thursday, succeeding Jeffrey Coats in a move effective immediately.
Rowe brings more than two decades of key management experience across the automotive and marketing industries, holding senior positions at FordDirect, Cox Automotive and Cerberus-backed YP Holdings.
As president of YP Holdings, Rowe was instrumental in the improvement of YellowPages.com’s business operations and its eventual sale to Dex Media in 2017. While at Cox Automotive, Rowe served as president of the Media Solutions Group, where he was responsible for leading the Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, Dealer.com and Haystack businesses.
“Jared has a strong track record of successfully implementing strategic plans to revitalize automotive businesses competing in the e-commerce industry,” AutoWeb chairman Michael Fuchs said. “His leadership and restructuring at YP Holdings and Cox Automotive led to material operating improvements and enhanced competitive positioning.
“Jared will be an invaluable addition to our company as he shares our vision of delivering the highest quality marketing products to dealers and OEMs,” Fuchs said.
This will be Rowe’s second stint with AutoWeb, as he previously served as manager of strategic business development in 1998.
“It’s been nearly 20 years since I kicked off my digital marketing career at the former Autobytel,” Rowe said. “I am excited to rejoin AutoWeb to lead the continued evolution of this digital marketing platform that specializes in providing OEMs and dealers with high-quality, performance managed campaigns.
“It is important to provide our clients with detailed attribution that enables them to understand the value and ROI our services and products provide,” he continued.
“We have a solid foundation to build from with an established brand, advanced technology, an extremely talented team and clients that value the quality of our products,” Rowe said.
“I look forward to leveraging my experiences to help return AutoWeb to growth by introducing new strategies and initiatives that I believe will unlock the company’s full potential and maximize shareholder value,” he added.
Fuchs shard his appreciation of Coats’ contribution to AutoWeb during a span that lasted more than 20 years.
“I would like to thank Jeff Coats for his many years of service and dedication to AutoWeb. He has been an exceptional CEO for more than a decade and a valued board member since 1996,” Fuchs said.
“We look forward to continuing to work with Jeff as he assists Jared during a transition period as a consultant. We wish him the best in his future endeavors,” Fuchs went on to say.
Tamara Darvish is embarking on another automotive industry endeavor.
Capital Automotive Real Estate Services — which orchestrates custom tailored financing packages for dealers — announced that Darvish joined the company as its new chief operating officer.
Capital Automotive highlighted that Darvish will use her knowledge and expertise to lead both the acquisition and real estate teams. The company insisted that she has achieved results in the past with her “bold execution, game-changing initiatives and ability to grow a business exponentially.”
Darvish most recently held the position of COO at Pentagon Federal (PenFed) Credit Union, where she spearheaded efforts to grow assets by billions by generating millions of dollars of origination growth each month.
Prior to her work at PenFed, she was the executive vice president at DARCARS Automotive Group. It was at DARCARS that she honed her skills in the automotive industry by growing the family business from three franchises to more than 20 dealerships, maintaining year-over-yer profitability, and serving on multiple industry boards and spending significant time advocating for dealers with members of Congress.
“Tamara brings with her an abundance of knowledge and experience in retail automotive and banking industries. She will be a great asset to our already outstanding team,” said Jay Ferriero, president and chief executive officer of Capital Automotive.
An executive with vast experience at some familiar names within the personal computing space now is in the automotive arena.
On Thursday, DealerSocket announced that Jose Arcilla has joined the company as chief operating officer.
The company highlighted Arcilla joins DealerSocket from Symantec Corp., and brings more than 20 years of experience leading operations across some of the most recognizable software companies in the world. Throughout his time at Symantec, Blue Coat Systems, Adobe and McAfee, Arcilla led and managed teams handling new accounts, professional services, customer success, customer support, retention and renewals, all of which he is now leading at DealerSocket.
“Jose’s experience in achieving operational excellence and his customer-centric focus make him a perfect fit as our new COO at DealerSocket,” said Sejal Pietrzak, president and chief executive officer of DealerSocket.
“My goal is to delight our customers and help them maximize the return on their investment in our software solutions,” Pietrzak continued. “Jose’s proven track record of over two decades of nurturing a customer-first approach will create an even stronger culture of offering our customers positive and seamless experiences.”
DealerSocket reiterated that its vision is to drive the future of automotive by simplifying the experience for our customers, consumers and partners by offering a suite of products that are seamless and integrated.
“We are constantly devising new ways to streamline our customer engagement lifecycle. This will ensure we will connect with our customers at the right time, with the right resources, and create solutions for our customers the first time, every time,” Arcilla said.
“Our ability to truly differentiate our customer experience allows us to act as our customers’ trusted advisors. We will reactively, proactively and ultimately predictively engage to help our customers become even more successful,” he went on to say.
Cox Automotive announced Wednesday that it has named a new senior vice president of human resource business partners and employment practices to lead people strategy and execution for the company.
Chosen for the position is Renato Razon, who was most recently chief human resources officer at Mercedes-Benz USA.
In his new role, he is responsible for collaborating with the Cox Automotive executive team, as well as other key business leaders to identify and execute domestic people strategies.
“People are the real power of Cox Automotive – and together – with the passion we share for transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns cars – we're leading the industry into a new frontier,” Cox Automotive chief people officer Janet Barnard said in a news release announcing Razon’s appointment.
“I am excited to have Renato fill this critical leadership role as we create leading-edge team member experiences in a living, breathing, evolving culture and attract team members empowered to build a better future for the next generation of the automotive industry, enabling us to innovate in ways other companies only dream of,” Barnard continued.
In addition to leading a broad team of corporate, field and business-based HR business partners, the company said Razon will also serve as a business liaison for Cox Automotive’s people strategies.
At Mercedes-Benz USA, Razon led all HR functions concerning operations, talent acquisition, organizational effectiveness and development, employee engagement, compensation, benefits, pension programs, diversity and inclusion and corporate training.
“I am looking forward to joining Cox Automotive with its dynamic family of brands focused on people and business innovation," said Razon. “Positively impacting people strategies by leveraging my 20 years of OEM HR experience excites me for this journey ahead.”
Razon began his career with the Daimler AG family in 1998. He held multiple HR management and subject matter expert roles within compensation, recruiting and HR operations for DaimlerChrysler.
In 2007, Razon took on the role of manufacturing HR manager and was later promoted to serve as director of labor relations and HR operations for Daimler Trucks North America in Fort Mill, S.C. In that role, he managed all labor relations across the enterprise.
Website provider fusionZONE Automotive announced Tuesday that it has appointed former Autotrader executive Steve Greenfield to serve as company president.
As Autotrader vice president of business development and product management, Greenfield lead almost $1 billion of acquisitions — including Kelley Blue Book, vAuto, HomeNet and VinSolutions, the company said.
Greenfield most recently served as chief executive officer and founder of Automotive Ventures and has helped private equity firms conduct due diligence on automotive technology acquisitions since leaving AutoTrader.com in 2014.
"fusionZONE is focused on creating value for our dealers by understanding their business and driving results," company founder Brett Sutherlin said in a news release. "Steve is recognized throughout the automotive industry with nearly 20 years of experience in a variety of leadership roles.
"His depth of experience in business development, product management, strategic advising and building companies has helped build billions of dollars of value in the industry. We are thrilled to have Steve on our team to help us drive greater value for our dealer customers," Sutherlin continued.
LotLinx announced Tuesday that managing partner of motormindz Jim O'Sullivan will join the company's board of directors.
"Jim has been instrumental in helping a range of companies, from major automakers to smaller startups. His diverse background, unique insight and seasoned leadership will benefit us and our mission to help dealers find long-term success," LotLinx founder Len Short said in a news release.
O'Sullivan’s automotive executive background spans 42 years. His experience includes time at Ford Motor Company and Mazda Motor Corp., where he previously served as president and chief executive officer.
"This is an exciting opportunity to provide thought leadership to one of the more innovative companies in the space," O'Sullivan said. "AI technology has affected every aspect of the car business, including how cars are bought and sold. LotLinx has built a great organization, business model and platform that provides real value to OEMs and dealers alike. I look forward to mentoring the team and helping the company build on its already great reputation."
