Kelly McAllister, who is the director of digital business at XLerate Group Auctions, has been appointed to the new product advisory board at OVE, the auction group said Monday.

OVE launched this five-member independent auction advisory board this year to complement and help build various product enhancements it was launching.

McAllister was recognized by OVE at this month’s National Remarketing Conference/NAAA Convention portion of Used Car Week.

“Kelly’s addition to the board has prompted more auctions to train sales staff to market and sell front line ready aged units. His digital strategy has carried over to XLerate Group Auctions’ 17 locations, making them one of the largest OVE facilitation locations of the 168 independents listing vehicles,” said Peter Lavallee, senior director for OVE independent auctions, in a news release.

McAllister added: “It is a great honor; and while my name is on the award, this reflects more on the XLerate Group Auctions and their management.  Without the support of the GMs, and their belief in the plan and its execution, we would not be where we are today with digital transactions.”

He added: “Having great partners such as OVE makes it easier for us to grow outside of our traditional in-lane customer base. Whether you believe physical auctions are going away or not, our industry can all agree that digital sales will be the focus of the future. The XLerate Group Auctions plan on leading the way.”

XLerate chief executive officer Cam Hitchcock said: “Kelly has spearheaded the design and execution of XLerate’s overall digital strategy, including initiatives with OVE and related marketplaces.  XLerate has seen very significant growth and success in its digital strategy and anticipates capitalizing on even more digital volume on partner marketplaces like OVE.

“Kelly has repeatedly been recognized as one of the most innovate and hardest working digital executives in the independent auction community.  We are fortunate to have him on our team.”