automotiveMastermind announced Tuesday that it has appointed Mohamed Al-Daqa as its new chief implementation officer and Pam Perry as new chief people officer.
“Bringing Mohamed and Pam on board is the right step toward an integrated company approach that ultimately improves the customer experience,” automotiveMastermind chief executive officer Marco Schnabl said in a news release announcing the new hires. “With the exponential growth we have experienced over the last year, the addition of Pam and Mohamed will help us to continue our innovation.”
A hands-on information technology leader, Al-Daqa brings over 25 years of experience. He has served various industries, where he provided expertise in implementing sales platforms, technologies and business development, according to automotiveMastermind.
In his new role, Al-Daqa will oversee the company’s predictive marketing, product, and data implementation teams.
As chief people officer, Perry will head the automotiveMastermind human resources team.
With more than 30 years of experience transforming organizational cultures, Perry’s expertise includes driving change management, merger and acquisition integration, performance management and employee engagement, according to automotiveMastermind.
“With the growth the organization has experienced over the last year, it has become sought out by many potential employees,” added Perry. “Leadership has worked hard to foster a culture of collaboration and our team intends to further expand on that foundation.”
Additionally, Perry is the founder of HR Equity Inc., an organization which helps build equity for both privately-backed companies and venture capital-backed companies in the high-tech world.
Donlen recently announced that it has brought aboard Bob Barna to serve as vice president of strategic sales and Ian Crapper as managing director of global business.
“As Donlen advances our offerings for large, global fleets, we are committed to investing in and retaining successful, results-oriented fleet professionals,” Donlen president Tom Callahan said in a news release. “Bob and Ian’s expertise and leadership will ensure that our growing customer base continues to be served at the highest level.”
Barna most recently spent four years in business development at LeasePlan where he forged new client relationships with large fleets across the western region of the U.S, according to Donlen.
In his new role, in addition to being responsible for building relationships with companies throughout the country, Barna will also collaborate with Donlen’s sales territory managers to administer proactive and ongoing strategic solutions to fleets.
“The Donlen team offers an unparalleled offering with the knowledge and experience to improve the efficiency of any size fleet,” Barna said. “I look forward to the opportunities of building off of Donlen’s proven customer service approach, and leveraging their extensive technology platform to provide value to large fleets.”
As new managing director of global business, Crapper has been tasked with managing Donlen’s global fleet program to enhance services for existing global customers.
Crapper is a sales executive who brings more than 20 years of business experience. Prior to joining Donlen, Crapper led sales and marketing efforts at LeasePlan Canada.
“Working with Donlen’s far-reaching global partners is a tremendous opportunity for me and our customers. I feel the team and our approach will bring tremendous success to Donlen’s worldwide customers,” added Crapper.
Ally Financial announced Tuesday that it has appointed Josh Wilsusen to head the company's Washington office as its new managing director for public policy and government affairs.
Wilsusen most recently served as executive director of government relations at Morgan Stanley where he represented the company both on Capitol Hill and at federal banking agencies regarding securities and banking issues.
While at Morgan Stanley, Wilsusen also served as co-chair of the Structured Finance Industry Group's government relations subcommittee.
“Josh's experience in financial services and on Capitol Hill is perfectly suited to advancing the public-policy interests of Ally and our customers,” general counsel for Ally Financial Scott Stengel said in a news release.
“He embodies our innovative spirit and commitment to 'doing it right' and will focus on championing political solutions that benefit communities across Ally's nationwide footprint.”
In his new role, Wilsusen will oversee its public-policy strategy and direct its advocacy and outreach to executive, legislative and other political bodies and officials at all levels of government, according to Ally.
Wilsusen served as securities counsel to former U.S. House Financial Services Committee chairman Michael Oxley prior to Morgan Stanley.
DealersLink recently announced it has brought aboard a new vice president of sales Josh Dougherty to head the recruiting, training and coaching of new company sales talent.
Dougherty brings more than 15 years of auto industry experience, including sales and management positions with AutoTrader.com, KBB and vAuto.
“I am very pleased to welcome Josh to our growing team at DealersLink,” company chief executive officer Mike Goicoechea said in a news release. “In addition to his corporate positions, Josh once owned and managed his own independent lot. He knows firsthand the challenges of running a dealership and will work tirelessly to ensure that our products help dealers streamline operations and generate more revenue.”
Along with various awards for innovation, community service and leadership, Dougherty has won awards for Sales Person of the Year, Sales Manager of the Year, Advertising Consultant of the Year and multiple Presidents Club awards for leadership and individual sales, according to DealersLink.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the team here at DealersLink,” added Dougherty. “The cutting-edge technology here, combined with the speed at which the dev team innovates, is impressive. In addition, the culture at DealersLink is all about making our decisions through the lens of the dealer, and how our products will impact their success in a positive way. This, along with the opportunity to work alongside some of the best and most passionate people in the industry, is why I joined the DealersLink team.”
After announcing earlier this week Integrated Auction Solutions is now fully compatible with Autoniq’s appraisal software, IAS reported Wednesday it has appointed a new president.
John Lilly has been chosen for the job, and the new IAS exec will join the company immediately. Lilly will assume responsibility for IAS AuctionMaster, IAS Simulcast, IAS Marketplace, IAS Core and IAS Services, the company shared.
In a press release announcing the appointment, IAS founder Alexis Jacobs, said, “John has been a respected strategist and operating executive within the automotive industry for many years, and we are pleased to have him lead the IAS team.
“He will have full responsibility for the IAS suite of products, which we believe will change the way cars are transacted among auctions, dealers, consignors and consumers,” Jacobs continued.
Greg Levi, IAS managing partner, added, “I have known John for many years; he brings a unique set of skills, experience and perspective that we believe will accelerate our strategy, and deliver tangible results to our community.”
Prior to joining Integrated Auction Solutions, Lilly was chief product officer at CDK Global Inc., and a line of business leader at Accenture, where he held various product, strategy and business development roles.
"I am excited to be joining IAS at a time when the wholesale auction experience is evolving so quickly. Auctions are seeking solutions to help them compete in a marketplace which is quickly moving online,” said Lilly. “ I look forward to working with Alexis, Greg and the rest of the IAS team to bring products to market that enable auctions to compete more profitably.”
ADESA Dallas has a new general manager. KAR Auction Services business unit ADESA announced on Tuesday that Allan Wilwayco has been appointed GM at the Texas auction—one of the largest ADESA sale facilities in the country.
ADESA Dallas sits on 200 acres and offers ancillary services onsite, including reconditioning, repair and detail services.
Wilwayco brings with him almost 30 years of experience in the auto auction industry. These roles have ranged from finance to business development, as well as numerous leadership positions.
And the GM role is not new to him either. He served as GM of Manheim Orlando for six years and as vice president of digital operations for Manheim Digital Marketplace, as well.
“Allan has built significant relationships across the industry and proven his ability to manage a large-scale auction facility, while delivering a successful auction experience with a strong focus on customer service,” Geoff Parker, regional vice president of ADESA’s Midwest region, said. “Our customers and employees at ADESA Dallas will benefit from Allan’s industry knowledge, including his experience in digital strategy.”
LotLinx announced Tuesday that along with recently expanding its offices in the historic Downtown Chicago Loop, it has named Bob Sherman vice president of enterprise business development and Kim De Palma VP of enterprise partner development.
The company said the recent expansion will allow it to accommodate its fast-growing team.
These appointments follow the addition of John Gottschalk as senior VP of client relationships in September.
Sherman brings nearly 25 years of automotive experience with a focus on data for marketing and attribution purposes.
At R.L. Polk & Co., which was acquired by IHS Markit, Sherman was responsible for approaching third-party companies to sell data back into the marketplace.
His track record includes placing different automotive vendors together to form lasting partnerships, according to LotLinx.
"We're very pleased to add Bob and Kim to our team. Ms. DePalma is a highly respected communications and business development leader in the automotive sector with a strong track record of optimizing sales and marketing results. Mr. Sherman has a true understanding of how data drives performance in today’s digital ecosystem," Eric Brown, president of LotLinx, said. "We are very fortunate to have these two exceptional and highly respected leaders join our team"
De Palma, who most recently led business development for call management company CallRevu, has experience brokering strategic partnerships with dealers across both the U.S. and Canada, according to LotLinx.
Additionally, prior to CallRevu, De Palma also served as director of conference operations at Digital Dealer, where in addition to developing a robust contact network while supporting events, she was tasked with creating solutions designed to increase market share, customer retention and profitability.
Alliance Inspection Management (AiM) announced on Monday morning it has named a new president and chief executive officer.
Chosen for the position is Steve Lambert, who will begin his tenure as CEO on Dec. 4, in the company’s Long Beach, Calif., offices.
AiM has hired Lambert to “strengthen the company’s core inspection and dealer floorplan audit businesses and scale the company for growth by developing new inspection services and products,” the company shared.
In his new role, Lambert will oversee all AiM operations and will report to the company’s board of directors.
Lambert joins the independent automotive inspection company from Nissan North America, where he most recently served as vice president of information systems. Previously at Nissan, he also held the position of president of Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation (NMAC), and was responsible for all sales finance activity in North America, which included the oversight of Nissan Canada Finance and launching of Nissan Renault Finance Mexico.
“Steve is an accomplished business leader with proven experience in remarketing and information technology,” AiM board director and senior VP of Manheim Vehicle Advantage Joe George said.
“Under his guidance, AiM will accelerate the growth of its offsite inspections, saving time and making it easier for dealers and consumers. We look forward to strengthening our partnership with AiM to create next-generation inspection solutions that benefit clients and the industry,” he continued.
Lambert is already more than familiar with the company, as he served on AiM’s board of directors from 2005 to 2010. And during his tenure as head of NMAC, the company used AiM’s off-lease inspection and floor plan audit services.
“AiM is strategically positioned to lead the industry and consumer space in vehicle inspection services,” Lambert said. “We’ll continue on the path of being the gold standard for vehicle inspection services as well as being an innovator in the remarketing space.”
Manheim recently announced it has appointed Noel Kitsch as general manager of Manheim Georgia and Joey Satfield as general manager of Manheim Fort Myers.
Kitsch most recently served as senior assistant general manager at Manheim Central Florida.
He joined Manheim in 2001 as a dealer sales representative before taking on various roles with increasing responsibility, according to the company.
Kitsch’s past roles include acting as both the assistant general manager and dealer services manager at Manheim Orlando as well as serving as assistant general manager at Manheim Dallas.
“Noel’s record of exceeding company goals and client expectations, along with his ability to build strong client relationships and effective teams, make him a terrific fit for Manheim Georgia,” Manheim regional vice president, Southeast Mark Ford said in in a news release.
Satfield most recently worked in partnership with clients utilizing Cox Automotive products and services as assistant general manager at Manheim Kansas City.
He served as dealer services manager at Manheim Orlando prior to his role at Manheim Kansas City.
“In his new role, Joey will help Manheim Fort Myers deliver strong year-end results for Manheim and its clients,” said Tim Janego, Manheim regional vice president, East.
Satfield began his career at Manheim in 2013 as a field sales representative at Manheim Lakeland.
While millennials still name car dealer as one of the top three occupations they would like to avoid, if car dealerships integrated more modern technology into the sales process, these same millennials would be more likely to pursue a job there.
This is according to new survey data Roadster released in partnership with research firm Survata on Tuesday.
Car dealer follows behind tax collector, the second most avoided occupation. Politician comes in as the No.1 most avoided occupation.
Fifty-four percent of millennials told Roadster that if car dealerships used more modern technology they would be more likely to consider a job there, according to the report.
“Imagine if you’re a millennial and the only way you’ve bought a car is through the traditional process, negotiating back and forth, writing everything down on a piece of scratch paper, but everything else you purchase is through an iPad, iPhone – some sort of screen device,” said Honda of Seattle General Sales Manager Tim Miller, who uses Roadster’s Express Store solution. “We’re attracting millennials by giving them the option to sell cars the way we sell it, which is through the Roadster Express Store, and that allows them to sell the vehicle just the way they purchase products off of Apple, Amazon and any other online retailer.”
When millennials were asked what retailers they would make car dealerships like, they listed companies Amazon (37 percent), Apple (23 percent) and Starbucks (11 percent) as their top three.
Over 90 percent of the millennials surveyed said having access to technology was important.
“On our end, normally when you go in to buy a car and you want to look at payment options, everything’s done on a piece of paper, and you have to go back and forth between the sales manager or an office,” Miller said.
“Now when you come into one of our dealerships, and you want to see the payments on the vehicle, the cash price, a lease quote, everything is done right there on the showroom floor without any management necessary and everything’s done on an iPad. For a customer, normally it takes 20-25 minutes just to get the customer the information of how much it’s going to cost to pay for this vehicle.”
With the Roadster Express Store, sales staff can have those options available to customers in about 30 seconds, according to Miller.
“We really try to value our customers time, because that is the most important thing that they have in their lives and certainly us as a dealership we value time over everything,” he said.
The survey also found that 61 percent of millennials say that one element about car dealerships they would like to change is the high-pressure sales environment.
Miller said that employing modern technology solutions not only simplifies the sales process and experience for customers, but also for dealership staff as well.
“Training is much easier because all the information is up front, so they don’t have to ask management what are the prices for the car, or what the interest rate is, everything’s on the Express Store. So it really just allows us to focus on customer service, selecting the right vehicle and then minimizing our customers’ time in store," Miller said.
Additionally, 57 percent and 30 percent of millennial respondents, respectively, named less commission-based compensation and a more predictable work schedule as other changes they would like to see at dealerships.
Between Oct. 11 and Oct. 12, there were 1,006 online respondents interviewed for the survey.
