Lithia Motors now has a chief legal officer — its first-ever. And AutoWeb has its first chief operating officer.

Starting with the Lithia news, joining the dealer group in the role of chief legal officer will be David Stork, who comes to the company from JELD-WEN.

His most recent post there was as general counsel.

“David’s unique understanding and proactive approach to the legal discipline as a business partner, is a perfect fit with our team and culture,” Lithia president and chief executive officer Bryan DeBoer said in a news release.

In another C-level first in the auto retail space this week, AutoWeb announced its first-ever COO: Dan Ingle, who joins the company after 12 years with Cox Automotive.

His most recent post there was vice president of international business development, leading the global expansion of Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader brands at Cox.  Ingle’s experience also includes time as the IT director at CapitalOne Auto Finance and posts with PeopleFirst.com, Thomson Technology Consulting Group and Ernst & Young.

“Dan’s operational capabilities and extensive insight into the digital automotive marketing landscape will be a strong asset for our executive team,” AutoWeb president and CEO Jared Rowe said in a news release. (Rowe's background includes time leading both Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, respectively, as well as the group at Cox Automotive that oversaw both brands.)  

 “His leadership at KBB was instrumental to the brand’s digital transformation as he modernized its vehicle valuation process and display, while extending those capabilities beyond the US market. We look forward to leveraging his expertise in operating digital consumer and commercial products as we look to execute on our various strategic initiatives in 2019,” Rowe said.

In the new release, Ingle added: “AutoWeb’s marketing platform provides dealers and OEMs with the necessary advertising solutions to sell vehicles in a dynamic digital landscape. I plan to utilize my experience in managing digital platforms to further enhance AutoWeb’s solutions and ensure we are effectively utilizing our people, technology and data to drive growth and deliver measurable value for our clients.”