RoadVantage named its new operations support manager this week, choosing a professional with extensive experience in the rental-car industry.
The F&I product provider hired Mark Johnson, who RoadVantage described as an innovative operations professional and a visionary leader with a strong background in process improvement and solutions-focused strategies.
The company noted that Johnson has led teams ranging from 50 to 350 employees across functional areas of operations, supply chain, marketing, sales, maintenance and information technology.
Johnson’s previous experience is in the rental-car industry, where he was responsible for revenue growth, cost management, talent development, operational planning and facility management of multiple locations for Advantage Rent A Car and Avis Budget Group. He spearheaded an organizational transformation at Advantage Rent A Car by re-engineering the company’s management incentive program to drive revenue growth and impact key performance indicators (KPIs) while simultaneously introducing lean processes to reduce costs.
Johnson indicated the main factors that attracted him to RoadVantage include its dynamic growth and innovation.
“I feel honored to join the team at RoadVantage,” Johnson said about his new position through a news release distributed by the company.
“The company’s operations already function like a well-oiled machine,” he continued. “I look forward to adding my efforts to business processes to continue delivering a best-in-class experience to our agents, dealers and customers.”
Recognized for a collaborative leadership style and a keen ability to effectively translate complex operational concepts into tangible action plans, the company believes Johnson is a proven entrepreneurial leader who will help RoadVantage continue to achieve record growth.
“We are thrilled to have Mark Johnson join us as operations support manager,” RoadVantage chief executive officer Garret Lacour said. “RoadVantage leads the market in product innovations and service levels. Our 200 Google reviews, with a 4.8 overall rating and our top honors Diamond Dealers’ Choice Awards in 2017, 2018 and 2019 are proof of the validity of our mission statement, to deliver an exceptional customer experience.
“We’re excited to have Mark join our team to help us take our mission even further,” Lacour went on to say.
The migration of experienced executives moving from one of the three traditional credit bureaus to Trust Science continued this week.
The provider of artificial intelligence-powered credit scoring announced that Jeremy Mitchell has joined Trust Science as chief data and analytics officer. Mitchell was formerly vice president of analytic solutions consulting at Equifax where he supported more than $340 million in annual revenue and previously has product development responsibilities for product portfolios in excess of $100 million.
Trust Science explained in a news release that Mitchell will leverage his 20 years of industry experience to oversee two key pillars in the company’s software-as-a-service platform, both alternative data and also analytics. Trust Science can produce custom scores using not only a finance company’s historical records but also proprietary data and publicly-sourced data, all powered by machine learning and AI.
Trust Science insisted that finance companies can benefit from automation at scale and previously unattainable decision support at the lower end of the credit spectrum.
“We’re proud to have Jeremy join us to help define underwriting across the planet for the 2020s,” Trust Science chief executive officer and founder Evan Chrapko said. “Jeremy was a member of the original development team that created VantageScore, a credit score to compete with the traditional FICO score. We love compliant, powerful disruption.”
Mitchell shared his perspective on his new position.
“Trust Science is leading the trend to give consumers access to relevant information and give them control over who accesses their information,” he said.
“Trust Science is building solutions that benefit both the consumer and the lender,” Mitchell continued. “This decade will see the world expect alternative data and AI to be harnessed for social good like financial inclusion.”
The company’s addition of Mitchell arrived after Trust Science hired John Giamalvo, who also worked at Equifax among other automotive industry position, along with Elizabeth Reyes, who spent 12 years at TransUnion.
Before coming to Trust Science as its head of subprime automotive, Giamalvo spent nearly five years at Equifax, making multiple appearance as speaker during Used Car Week. Giamalvo also has held positions with Edmunds, CoreLogic, AutoNation and the Star Auto Group.
Reyes most recently served as a West Coast account representative for FactorTrust after it was acquired by TransUnion.
AUL Corp. thinks so highly of chief information officer Jose Fleites that the F&I provider promoted him this week to a dual executive position.
AUL president and chief executive officer Jimmy Atkinson appointed Fleites to the role of chief operating officer in addition to retaining his duties as CIO.
According to a company announcement, Fleites will be applying his leadership and experience to the firm’s daily operations including claims, service support, operations and human resources.
Fleites joined AUL as CIO in 2018 and quickly transformed the firm’s IT systems, implementing new hardware and software that underly the firm’s customer relationship management and claims processing systems. These new tools provided AUL with the foundation and bandwidth to grow AUL from a single product vehicle service contract (VSC) provider into a one partner, total F&I solution for thousands of dealers across the country.
“Since his arrival at AUL, Jose has been a visionary. He quickly and clearly identified the critical areas where we needed to modernize, constructed an amazing team to carry out the mission, and delivered beyond our most ambitious goals,” Atkinson said.
“With these new systems underlying our core businesses, it was a natural transition to align the functions of claims and service support under one senior leader,” Atkinson went on to say.
Location Services made four changes to its senior management team on Tuesday, triggered by the retirement of chief executive officer Lee McCarty after 35 years in the auto-finance industry.
The provider of recovery-management and loss-mitigation services announced that effective immediately its new CEO will be Jerry Kroshus, who previously served the company as chief client relations officer.
The company highlighted that Kroshus brings a wealth of professional experience and strong relationships to this role, compiling more than 30 years in the auto-finance industry. Kroshus’ prior experience includes:
— CEO of Auto Approve, an auto refinance company he co-founded
— President and CEO of PAR North America
— Senior leadership roles with HSBC Auto Finance and Citigroup
David Heller of Delaware Street Capital (DSC), the parent company of Location Services, said in a news release, “We couldn’t be more pleased to have Jerry in the CEO role. He is a highly respected leader in this industry, and he will ensure that our teams service our clients at a high level and continuously deliver top results.”
As the company elevated Kroshus, McCarty reflected on his tenure with Location Services.
“I am very proud of our leadership team and the company we have created,” McCarty said. “Most importantly, I am proud of the Location Services team members, who through their commitment and tireless work, helped establish our footprint which now covers 26 states and Guam.”
Location Services revealed two other management adjustments, too.
President and chief operating officer Eric Gerdes will transition into a newly created position within Location Services’ holding company, working with Delaware Street Capital (DSC). Gerdes joined Location Services in 2018 and has held leadership roles in operations, risk and compliance that were instrumental in the execution of Location Services’ acquisition strategy.
Location Services also announced that vice president of client relations Shawn White will assume the role of chief operating officer. White joined Location Services in 2017 and has held leadership roles in operations, compliance and client relations.
White brings 15 years of experience in the auto-finance industry including prior roles as director of collections at Exeter Finance and extensive experience at Ally Financial.
“Shawn’s diverse experience in different areas of the business makes him uniquely qualified, and I could not be more excited to have him in this role,” Kroshus said.
This week, ACA International added Colin Winkler as the association’s new corporate counsel at its Minnesota headquarters.
Winkler, an attorney with 10 years of experience, previously served as an attorney editor with Thomson Reuters’ statutes editorial team, where he led early research on the California Consumer Privacy Act.
Winkler’s other experience includes time as paralegal supervisor and business operations manager for CACI International at the U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division, where he worked hand-in-hand with DOJ attorneys to enforce civil tax liabilities, and a collections and creditors’ rights attorney both in solo practice and at a small firm in northern Virginia.
As corporate counsel, ACA International indicated Winkler said he is focused on providing effective oversight of ACA’s Industry Advancement Program and supporting robust advocacy on the industry’s behalf.
“I’m thrilled to be here at ACA and to have the opportunity to work with our accomplished and energetic legal and leadership teams, board of directors and committee members,” Winkler said in a post on the organization’s website.
“Together with them, I’m looking forward to strengthening our industry and to helping our members succeed, particularly in light of recent changes to the federal regulatory and statutory landscape,” he went on to say.
The organization added that Winkler will work closely with Issa Moe, ACA’s general counsel and vice president of legal.
Santander Holdings USA, Santander Consumer USA Holdings and Wells Fargo all made high-level leadership changes on Tuesday morning with an executive shifting from one institution to the other being among the moves.
According to separate news releases, Timothy Wennes has been named Santander US chief executive officer and country head, effective immediately. Wennes succeeds Scott Powell, who has left the company to become chief operating officer at Wells Fargo in an action that’s effective on Dec. 9.
And since Powell also was CEO of SCUSA, the auto-finance company also announced that succeeding him in that role will be Mahesh Aditya, who has served as Santander US chief risk officer since last May.
The company recapped that Wennes joined Santander in September as CEO of Santander Bank (SBNA) — a role that he retains in addition to his new appointment. He was also named to the Santander US board of directors.
In his expanded role, the company indicated Wennes will have responsibility for all U.S. operations of Banco Santander, executing long-range plans and growth strategies and successfully completing the company’s regulatory remediation.
Wennes brings significant banking experience to the role, joining Santander from MUFG Union Bank.
Meanwhile as the new leader of its auto-finance entity, Aditya is now in that role after first joining Santander US in 2017 as chief operating officer. The company noted Aditya has deep consumer finance experience and has held executive management positions in risk management and oversight for Visa, Citibank, JPMorgan Chase and Capital One.
Wells Fargo explains its actions
After becoming a part of the leadership team, Wells Fargo said Powell will serve on the company’s operating committee and report directly to CEO and president Charlie Scharf.
“I have known Scott for many years, and his tremendous experience, proven track record and unquestioned integrity will make him a great addition to our management team,” Scharf said in a news release. “He’s the ideal person to take on this new position as we seek to transform Wells Fargo so that high-quality execution, clear accountability and operational excellence become unquestioned components of our culture.
“These elements are critical for us as we tackle our most important priority, regulatory remediation and also create the foundation from which to build Wells Fargo and to best serve our customers,” Scharf went on to say.
As COO, Wells Fargo indicated Powell will oversee regulatory execution and relations, enterprise shared services and a range of operational functions across the company. He will be empowered to execute on the company’s regulatory commitments, build the strongest possible operational standards and governance and deliver consistent, high-quality customer service.
As CEO of Santander Holdings USA, Wells Fargo highlighted that Powell led the auto-finance company’s turnaround, including resolving significant regulatory issues, implementing customer-focused oversight programs, improving financial and operating controls and increasing community and employee engagement.
Prior to Santander, Powell held a number of senior roles at JPMorgan Chase, including head of consumer banking, lending operations and consumer risk management. He also was CEO of consumer lending at Bank One, and he spent 14 years at Citi in various risk management roles.
“I am truly excited about the opportunity to join Wells Fargo and take on this new role during a critical period in Wells Fargo’s history,” Powell said. “Like Charlie, I have long admired and respected Wells Fargo. The company plays an important role in the U.S. economy, and we must ensure we are operating seamlessly and with the utmost integrity.
“I recognize that expectations are high and that we have significant work ahead of us. By working together and holding each other accountable, I’m confident that we will meet those expectations,” Powell went on to say.
Wells Fargo added Powell will be based in New York. He serves on the boards of directors of Phipps Houses and the END Fund in New York City and the Boys & Girls Club of Boston.
Additional moves at Santander
Santander also revealed two other executive actions on Tuesday morning.
The company said Sarah Drwal has been appointed Santander US and SBNA chief risk officer, succeeding Aditya and bringing more than 20 years of experience to the role.
Furthermore, Juan Carlos “JC” Alvarez, who is Santander US and SBNA chief financial officer, has been named to the SC board of directors.
Drwal has served as executive vice president and head of enterprise risk management for Santander US since 2017 and as chief risk officer for SBNA consumer and business banking since 2016.
Prior to joining Santander, Drwal served in executive leadership roles in risk, fraud, governance and strategy for JPMorgan Chase and Capital One, and began her career at Experian.
A highly experienced finance professional, the company recapped Alvarez joined Santander in 1996 and has held roles with increasing responsibility, including serving as CFO for SC from 2017 to 2019 where he oversaw SC’s financial reporting, financial planning and analysis, and accounting functions.
Santander acknowledged its U.S. business has completed a period of notable transformation in the last four years, making substantial enhancements with respect to board oversight, compliance, risk management, capital planning and liquidity risk management.
The company closed two significant written agreements with the Federal Reserve and as a result the company received a regulatory non-objection for its capital distribution plans in both 2018 and 2019, allowing it to return a dividend in 2018 for the first time since 2011. It has also made significant lending and other commitments to the communities in which it operates, and in 2018 achieved an upgrade to its Community Reinvestment Act rating.
Santander emphasized that its U.S. strategy remains focused on seizing organic growth opportunities and completing its regulatory remediation initiatives while further integrating operations and support functions to improve efficiency.
In addition, Santander US stressed that it will continue to leverage the strength of the Santander group while investing in improving the customer experience through both digital and physical channels. In the medium-term the group aims to grow the return on tangible equity in the U.S. from 6% to 11% to 13%.
Banco Santander executive chairman, Ana Botin, who recently joined the Santander US and SBNA boards, said in a news release: “Tim and Mahesh have proven themselves to be excellent leaders with tremendous expertise and talent. We see significant opportunity for growth in the U.S. market and I am proud that we have internal successors who are so well prepared to lead this next stage of our strategy, and I look forward to working with them even more closely in the years ahead.
In the past four years we have made outstanding progress in addressing the legacy regulatory issues and laying the foundation for future growth, and on behalf of the board and the group, I want to extend our thanks to Scott and wish him all the best for this next stage of his career.”
SHUSA and SBNA boards chairman Tim Ryan added, “The leadership team and employees of Santander US have moved our U.S. businesses forward in operating at large financial institution standards, and this work will continue with the leadership appointments we announce today.
“Santander US is fortunate to have a deep, strong management team, and we will carry on our work of meeting our regulatory goals and improving customer satisfaction in all our businesses,” Ryan went on to say.
Location Services announced six executive-level personnel moves on Wednesday, welcoming four new members to its management team and elevating two other individuals into higher leadership posts.
The provider loss-mitigation outsource solutions for the financial services industry began its rundown of moves via a news release by introducing its new chief financial officer. Taking on the position effective immediately is Mark Pohlman, who will report directly to chief executive officer Lee McCarty and operate out of the company’s Ann Arbor, Mich., headquarters.
Location Services highlighted that Pohlman brings more than 23 years of experience in accounting and finance to the company, having spent 14 years in the auto-finance industry. Pohlman previously held roles as
— Controller of auto finance accounting and securitization with Ally Financial
— Division controller at Allied Waste Industries
— Audit manager at Arthur Anderson.
Also joining the Location Services management team is Debbie Stokes, who will be part of its remarketing team as the national remarketing manager.
In her new role, the company explained she will oversee all aspects of Location Services’ remarketing activities for their network of clients. Stokes comes to Location Services from AutoNation Auction in Orlando where she spent the last year as the dealership’s assistant general manager.
Location Services mentioned Stokes has extensive experience within the remarketing industry, including leading the remarketing division at PAR North America for seven years. Prior to PAR, Stokes spent 13 years at Manheim, three years at CitiFinancial Auto as a regional remarketing representative, and six years at ADESA Tampa with her last position at the Sunshine State auction as assistant general manager.
Location Services made the additions of Michele Connell and Patrick Dunleavy as directors of business development reporting up through Jerry Kroshus, who is the company’s chief client relations officer.
The company said Connell is based in Los Angeles and has spent the past 20 years in senior roles at National Creditors Connection Inc. (NCCI). Location Services insisted Connell “is very well respected in the industry and has established strong business partnerships along the way.”
Location Services noted Dunleavy is based in Burnt Hills, N.Y., and has been with Tri-City Auto Recovery and TCAR Recovery & Remarketing Services (TCAR) since 2005. The company mentioned he is the third generation of the Dunleavy family tied to the business and has extensive recovery and remarketing experience.
Finally, Location Services also announce the promotion of Michael Eusebio to senior vice president of operations, effective immediately. The company said Eusebio will continue to report to president and chief operating officer Eric Gerdes.
Eusebio has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the loss mitigation industry, including:
— Co-founding RepoRoute
— President of Digital Dog Auto Recovery
— President of Redshift Investigation.
Location Services added this promotion opened the door to provide a career advancement for Jason Stephens as the newly appointed regional vice president of Western operations. Stephens will report directly to Eusebio.
The company said Stephens made a name for himself in the industry as president and owner of Extreme Auto Recovery and held previous positions as vice president of Digital Dog Auto Recovery and most recently as director of recovery operations for the Western region at Location Services.
EFG Companies hired two financial professionals on Tuesday for leading executive roles; individuals who possess a combined 50 years of professional experience.
The provider of innovative F&I solutions for automotive dealers, finance companies and agents named Neha Parikh as chief financial officer and Ben Cantrell as vice president, treasurer and controller.
As CFO, Neha Parikh brings almost 30 years of experience in financial management at Fortune 100 and mid-size companies to her role. At EFG, Parikh will utilize her extensive experience in financial and business planning, resource allocation and financial reporting to provide strategic direction, decision-support and leadership for EFG’s accounting and financial planning division.
Parikh’s managerial and consulting experience spans companies like GoDaddy, ADP, Verint, Cox Enterprises and AT&T, where she served in various capacities ranging from executive director to business unit CFO.
Meanwhile, Cantrell brings two decades of experience in finance, accounting, operations and retail automotive to his role as vice president, treasurer and controller. In this role, Cantrell will analyze complex processes and systems to plan and implement dynamic solutions with a focus on cost savings and cash flow optimization.
Prior to EFG, he served as chief financial officer for Seniority and for Senior Quality Lifestyles Corp. He also served as audit supervisor for Lane Gorman Trubitt and as staff accountant for RSF Partners. He is a certified public accountant.
For the second time this year, DIMONT reinforced its leadership team with a former executive from van Wagenen.
This week, the Dallas-based provider of insurance claims adjusting and collateral loss mitigation services to the residential mortgage and auto lending industries announced Nancy Mellon is the company’s new senior director of client development.
In this role, the company indicated Mellon will develop new strategies, tactics and plans for client growth, oversee client management and reporting; and support strategic and key accounts within DIMONT’s portfolio of clients in the auto finance industry.
Mellon brings more than 30 years of proven strategic and client development sales experience in the collateral protection and repo claims industry to DIMONT. Most recently, she served as senior vice president of sales and relationship development for van Wagenen, a financial services firm that specializes in custom auto and mortgage claims solutions.
“Nancy comes to us with an established background and proven experience in the auto and mortgage insurance claims industries as well as an exceptional understanding of the collateral protection products and related services that support auto lenders,” DIMONT chief executive officer Denis Brosnan said in a news release.
“We look forward to bringing her strategic and client development knowledge to the forefront for our clients, and we are excited to welcome her to DIMONT,” Brosnan added.
Back in June, DIMONT appointed Jeffery Anderson, another former van Wagenen executive, to be senior vice president of auto services in a strategic move to continue the growth of its auto division.
An employee who has been with AutoMap for nearly 10 years now is the company’s chief executive officer.
The provider of electronic vehicle monitoring and location services recently announced Mark Sargeant was promoted to CEO of AutoMap in a move that became effective on Sept. 30.
The company said in a news release that Sargeant will take on new responsibilities for growing AutoMap, which specializes in providing OBD vehicle tracking for dealers, OEM manufactures, auctions, and financial institutions.
Sargeant has worked with the company for the past nine years, starting out in sales and system development to most recently as vice president of business development and marketing
“Mark has been instrumental with the success of AutoMap leading the growth of the company to include several new customers including Mercedes Benz in Vance, Ala.,” AutoMap founder Ken Smith said. “Mark has proven his ability to grow the business and provide exceptional service to its numerous customers.”
Before coming to work at AutoMap, Sargeant was a business owner and provided communication and leadership skills to manage several locations throughout the Northwest. Mark is currently improving his skills by furthering his education seeking his MBA. Along with his wife of 21 years and three children, Sargeant has lived in Oregon for the past 50 years.
“With a great team behind me, AutoMap is on the path to not only become the leading vehicle location system in the U.S., but globally. I look forward to bringing my excitement and vision for the company’s future,” Sargeant said.
