ARI, a global fleet services provider specializing in complex car and truck fleets, announced several sales-related appointments.
Stephen Perkins will serve as vice president, sales and assistant general manager for ARI Canada.
In the U.S., Craig Pierce joins ARI as director of sales, while Craig DeCarlo, Joe Henry and Buck Whitman have been named district sales managers.
Perkins, a graduate of Ryerson Polytechnic University in Toronto, has held leadership positions with several Fortune 500 companies including IBM and Hewlett-Packard as well as Samsung, where he served as the vice president of sales and marketing for the company’s Enterprise Business division.
Perkins brings a combination of sales strategy, product management and marketing experience to his new role. He will help continue ARI’s growth across Canada while also providing additional leadership support throughout the organization.
Pierce joins ARI from Integra Telecom, where he most recently served as vice president of sales and was responsible for the company’s growth throughout the U.S. He also held several leadership positions during more than 10 years with CenturyLink. In his new role, Pierce will oversee ARI’s regional sales efforts in Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.
“Both Craig and Stephen bring impressive business acumen to ARI and will provide a fresh perspective as we continue to evolve as an organization,” said ARI president Chris Conroy. “As the industry’s technology leader, we are keenly aware that our business continues to develop and advance in the face of rapid change.
“Technology and people are ARI’s two greatest assets, and we will continue to invest in both to meet the needs of our clients. The addition of Craig and Stephen are representative of these investments,” he continued.
The company also added three district sales managers.
DeCarlo joins ARI as district sales manager based in the Grapevine, Texas, regional office. DeCarlo brings nearly a decade of industry expertise, specializing in new business development and customer service.
Henry, who began his career with ARI in 2012, will now serve as district sales manager in the company’s Chicago office. He most recently holding the role of account development representative and is known for his strong relationship-building skills.
Whitman joins ARI as district sales manager based in Atlanta. He brings a diverse background in the fleet management industry, including extensive experience in strategic leadership roles such as vice president of client relations, sales and operations as well as vice president of strategic accounts.
Porsche Financial Services Canada (PFSC) appointed David Williams as president and chief executive officer on Friday in a move the company sees as strengthening the local representation of Porsche’s captive financial organization in the Canadian market.
Williams, a native of Toronto, joined PFSC in 2014 as the director of sales and operations. During his time with the company, the captive highlighted he has been instrumental in leading the growth strategy for PFSC including improving relationships with Porsche Centers nationally, increasing PFSC lease and finance penetration, and contributing to the enhancement of the Porsche Centers PFSC satisfaction scores.
“Announcing David as president and CEO of Porsche Financial Services Canada was a logical decision as he has proven to be a leader with the PFSC results garnered in a short period of time,” said Alexander Pollich, president and CEO of Porsche Cars Canada.
“As we continue to expand our business within Canada we are confident David, along with his team, will continue to elevate PFSC to new levels.”
Williams began his career at Ford Motor Credit and brings more than 20 years’ experience in the automotive industry including leadership roles in both the captive finance and OEM areas of the business.
Prior to joining PFSC, Williams was part of the senior management team at Nissan Canada Finance/Infiniti Financial Services Canada. He holds a bachelor of arts degree with a major in economics from Bishop’s University.
“I’m honored to be able to lead Porsche Financial Services Canada in an expanded capacity and excited for what the future has in store,” Williams said. “We have made impressive strides over the last two years and will continue to build on the momentum.”
Established in 2003, Porsche Financial Services Canada supports and manages the lease and finance portfolio of the brand in Canada. It employs a team of six people and services 17 Porsche Centers nationwide.
Mercedes-Benz Canada and the Zanchin Automotive Group announced that Neal Bodack has been hired as general manager and partner of the Mercedes-Benz Durham dealership, which was acquired by Zanchin in late 2015.
Bodack will also become a key member of the senior leadership team at the Zanchin Automotive Group.
Bodack joined Mercedes-Benz Canada in 1988, and has held senior positions in both retail and wholesale capacities for nearly 30 years. In his most recent role, Neal was vice president, national sales responsible for new and pre-owned sales, remarketing and corporate sales. Bodack helped make Mercedes-Benz the No. 1 luxury manufacturer position in Canada in both 2014 and 2015.
“Neal’s commitment to the success of the business, his determination, and his attention to detail have been the hallmarks of his career at Mercedes-Benz Canada for many years,” said Brian Fulton, president and chief executive officer of Mercedes-Benz Canada. “I’d like to thank Neal for his tremendous loyalty to the brand, to his various teams, to our customers, and to Mercedes-Benz Canada over the years. We wish him all the very best as he takes on this new challenge within our extended Mercedes-Benz family.”
“It’s a bittersweet time for me at this juncture,” Bodack said. “I was at Mercedes-Benz Canada for most of my career and I absolutely loved working for the three-pointed star in various capacities at both the corporate retail and wholesale levels.
“The company grew exponentially during my tenure and I learned so much over the years. I am proud of what we collectively achieved while I was part of the executive team and I am very excited to be able to take over the helm of an already well-established, privately owned dealership within the Mercedes-Benz Canada dealer network, and bring its overall performance to the next level. I also very much look forward to working with Joe and the Zanchin Automotive Group,” he continued.
Zanchin Automotive Group president Joe Zanchin added: “I am thrilled to have Neal take over the reins at Mercedes-Benz Durham. As a recently appointed Mercedes-Benz dealer, I applaud the company’s mission to provide unparalleled customer sales and service to our loyal and newly-minted customers.
“I have always believed this to be the most important aspect of the automotive business and I know that, with Neal’s experience, passion and commitment, he will help us build on that very important foundation. I am also very excited to have him join our leadership team at the Zanchin Group.”
Axis Auto Finance, a non-prime finance company servicing the Canadian used-vehicle market, announced Wednesday that Richard Lloyd has been appointed as the company’s chief financial officer.
The company highlighted Lloyd’s appointment follows an extensive, months-long selection process with the assistance of an executive recruiting agency.
Lloyd is a chartered professional accountant (CPA) with more than 20 years of finance and operations experience. He spent seven years as director of operations and finance at Travelers Leasing Corp., which was acquired by Bank of Nova Scotia in 2007 and re-branded as Scotia Dealer Advantage.
At Travelers and later at Scotia Dealer Advantage, Lloyd led the development and build-out of the operations team that grew the business from a midsize regional finance company to one of the largest near-prime finance companies in Canada. As part of the Travelers leadership team, Lloyd played an integral part in expanding the business to a nationwide footprint and completing several acquisitions.
"We are very pleased to have Mr. Lloyd join Axis as CFO,” Axis chief executive officer Ilja Troitschanski said. “His skillset and experience should only strengthen Axis' continued growth and allow us to increase efficiency and scalability across all business disciplines.
“We believe that Mr. Lloyd can make a meaningful contribution to the success of Axis and I look forward to working with him in the future,” Troitschanski continued.
Concurrently with his appointment as CFO, the Axis board of directors granted Lloyd, five other employees as well as two board members a total of 750,000 stock options at an exercise price of $0.70 per share. The company explained the options vest in equal installments over 24 months and expire seven years from the grant date.
Kijiji Canada, part of the eBay Classifieds Group, has hired Leanne Kripp to be head of sales, autos.
In her new role, Kripp will help to identify business opportunities and partnerships that will support continued growth.
Kripp joins Kijiji’s Toronto office following a period of over three years with a large autos classifieds business, where she most recently served as director of sales.
Kripp also previously held a role with Yellow Pages Group as vice president, sales for Western Canada.
“We welcome Leanne into the Kijiji family as one of the best in the industry. Like Kijiji, Leanne is driven by a customer-centric mindset, continuous innovation, and results-driven performance,” said Matthew McKenzie, general manager of Kijiji. “Leanne will be responsible for heading up our national autos sales team, where she will work to progress our industry-leading position as the number one destination for car buyers in Canada.”
“Being part of the country’s leading autos marketplace offers an opportunity to grow with one of Canada’s most innovative companies,” Kripp said. “The challenge of how to further enhance Kijiji’s unique advertising solution and best-in-class customer experience is one I look forward to with great enthusiasm.”
TradeRev, a mobile vehicle appraisal and auctioning system for dealers, has hired John Farquharson as the manager of operations for Canada.
Farquharson will oversee the support and arbitration departments and administrative operations throughout Canada. He will also be responsible for developing and improving processes around customer service, as well as creating efficiencies that allow operations to be scalable with business growth.
“John brings more than 25 years of experience in the wholesale auto auction industry, along with an impressive track record and exceptional leadership skills that will be a true value add to our team,” said TradeRev founder and chief executive officer Mark Endras. “John’s involvement in industry associations and his profound understanding and passion of the industry will be crucial in our efforts to further satisfy our growing customer base throughout Canada.”
Prior to joining TradeRev, Farquharson was the director of sales and business development of Aucline, where he was responsible for the creation, direction and execution of business and sales strategy. Before that, he spent the majority of his career at Manheim, where he held a variety of positions including general manager, auction manager, assistant general manager, fleet and lease manager, corporate sales manager as well as arbitration manager.
He was previously involved in industry associations, including the National Auto Auction Association.
As part of a series of senior management appointments the automaker has made in its North American organization, Nissan Canada will have a new director of dealer network development effective July 1.
Appointed to the position is Ken Hearn, currently regional general manager at Nissan Canada.
Hearn replaces Vincent Boerhof, who became general manager for global dealer network power in April.
Hearn will report to Nissan Canada president Joni Paiva and will be based in Mississauga, Ontario.
Nissan also revealed changes in its corporate communications, Nissan sales and marketing and Infiniti Americas, and purchasing departments, which are detailed further here.
The series of North American appointments are designed to help support growth and global performance in the last year of Nissan’s “Power 88” mid-term business plan. Nissan North America plans to debut 14 new or revamped vehicles during fiscal 2016.
“These leadership appointments in key business functions will ensure Nissan is well positioned to accelerate our growth, especially with new and exciting products like TITAN and Armada,” José Muñoz — executive vice president, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (NML) and chairman, NNA — said in a news release
Carfax on Friday announced that Mark Rousseau has joined the company as president of CarProof.
Rousseau, who most recently was with LexisNexis, will oversee continued efforts to expand the scope of information reported to CarProof, to develop innovative products that unlock the full potential of vehicle history, and to grow awareness of the company’s ability to help people make decisions about used cars.
“Mark’s wealth of experience and industry knowledge will make him a key addition to the CarProof team,” Dick Raines, president of Carfax, said in a news release. “We see him as an important addition to unlock the full potential of an exceptional team with a long track record of success.
“I’d like to thank Drew Forret, and all the members of the CarProof team, for their good counsel and leadership of the company during our search. I’m confident that with Mark’s guidance the company will continue their tradition of innovating to help Canadians make better decisions about the used cars they buy and sell,” Raines continued.
CarProof is the leading vehicle history company in Canada. Its products help consumers, car dealers, vehicle manufacturers, major auctions, governments, insurance providers and police agencies. Based in London, Ontario, and founded in 2000, CarProof has been named one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies, and was also honored with Deloitte’s 2013 Technology Fast 50 and Fast 500 awards.
CarProof will continue to operate as a standalone company, and Rousseau will report to Raines.
“The CarProof commitment to providing trusted information that helps Canadians buy and sell used cars with more confidence is what attracted me,” said Rousseau. “I’ve always been curious and had a deep desire to build. I’m excited to join a company that’s firmly committed to innovating new products and building outstanding teams. CarProof helps millions of consumers and thousands of dealers in Canada and I’m proud to now be part of that effort.”
NextGear Capital, a Cox Automotive brand, has appointed Joe Carusella to be national vice president of its Canada operations. Carusella brings more than 21 years of auto industry experience in the areas of operations, sales and finance.
“We are excited to have Joe in the Canadian operation team in this newly created position,” John Wick, chief strategy officer at NextGear Capital, said in a news release. “Joe’s breadth of experience in the industry coupled with his excellent reputation in the business will no doubt add bench strength to our operation in Canada.”
“Carusella will focus on building on the successful momentum of NextGear Capital in Canada, by offering useful client solutions and continuing to diversify into other related industries,” added Maria Soklis, president of Cox Automotive Canada. “We are especially pleased with the results that NextGear has delivered in Canada as an industry lending leader and look forward to continuing this positive trajectory into the future.”
Prior to joining NextGear Capital, Carusella served as sales director at Desjardins Credit Union, where he headed the automotive and durable goods business unit with finance, retail and business development. He previously was branch manager and officer at Automotive Finance Canada.
Carusella, a Montreal native, received a graduate degree from McGill University.
“I am excited to get to work and be a part of a great organization here at NextGear Capital in Canada,” he said. “I am truly delighted to be part of a progressive company like Cox Automotive where the opportunity is seemingly unlimited.”
NextGear Capital serves more than 23,000 automotive dealers globally with inventory financing services across the United States, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
There’s a new head of Dealertrack’s Canadian operations.
The company announced Thursday morning that Richard Evans has been appointed vice president and general manager of Dealertrack Canada, a move that’s effective April 25.
Evans was most recently vice president for collateral management solutions at Davis & Henderson.
In his new role, Evans will work initially with Dealertrack senior vice president Michael Collins, who is transitioning towards retirement.
Once Collins retires, Evans will work with Mark Furcolo — the senior vice president of lender solutions at Dealertrack — and Cox Automotive Canada president Maria Soklis.
"We are fortunate to have such a talented and experienced leader as Richard joining Dealertrack's Canadian team," said Collins. "Richard's extensive management experience, coupled with his strong commitment to uncover opportunities through client and industry engagement, and his deep and versatile background within the Canadian financial services software market, make him the perfect person to lead our team."
