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People & Places: Corporate moves in April 2020
We recap some of the personnel announcements we heard about this past month.
People & Places, April 2020
Uni-Select
Jason Best has joined the leadership team of Uni-Select’s Canadian Automotive Group as senior vice president, sales, Canada.
“We’re pleased to welcome such a seasoned sales leader to our team. Jason spent his entire career in the automotive aftermarket and he brings a solid track record to lead one of the most crucial areas of our business,” said Brent Windom, president and chief executive officer of Uni-Select. “As we are already preparing for post-COVID-19, Jason’s experience will be key to lead the development and implementation of our Go-To-Market strategies and ensure their success across Canada.”
Jason Best has over 22 years in senior global roles at Spectra Premium and was recently Chairman of the Automotive Industries Association of Canada. As part of his role as leader of Uni-Select’s Canadian sales team, Jason Best will be focusing on continuously strengthening relationships with member customers.
With over 6,000 employees in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., Uni-Select is a leader in the distribution of automotive refinish and industrial coatings and related products in North America, as well as a leader in the automotive aftermarket parts business in Canada. Uni-Select is headquartered in Boucherville, Québec, Canada, and its shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (UNS).
In Canada, Uni-Select supports over 16,000 automotive repair and collision repair shops and more than 4,000 shops through its automotive repair/installer shop banners and automotive refinish banners.
Spectra Premium
Spectra Premium has named Martin Brazeau as its new vice president, operations aftermarket.
Brazeau, a trained chartered accountant with an extensive background in the manufacturing and distribution of aftermarket automotive parts, has joined the Spectra Premium group in 2013 following the acquisition of Richporter Technology where he acted as General Manager and managed all the aspects of operations.
Shortly after this acquisition, Brazeau moved to Taiwan and took the mandate to manage the development of all products within the engine management category. Over time, he became responsible for all aftermarket activities in Asia, including product development, quality control and supplier management.
“With his knowledge and expertise of our product lines, with his relationships with our supply base as well as our customers both in Canada and the United States, Martin has the baggage of expertise and experience to lead and address the future challenges of this division,” says Jacques Mombleau, president and CEO at Spectra Premium. “On behalf of all Spectra Premium employees, I take this opportunity to wish him the best success in this new position.”
NTN Bearings
NTN, the parent company of BCA and Bower Bearings, is pleased to announce the addition of Nathan Giles to its automotive aftermarket sales team. Giles will be filling the role of regional sales manager for the Central Region of the U.S. market.
“We are excited to announce the addition of Nathan to our regional sales management team,” said Charles Harris, director of automotive aftermarket sales. “His many years of regional management experience in the automotive aftermarket, deep understanding of our distribution channels, and strong leadership skills will be a huge asset to the continued growth of our organization.”
Giles comes to NTN with an extensive background in the automotive and heavy duty aftermarket with a strong emphasis on sales management. His experience includes regional management roles with automotive aftermarket companies that include Valeo Service, ATP Automotive, and Affinia Group.
In his new role as Regional Sales Manager for the Central Region of the U.S., Giles will lead the territory manager and sales rep team for NTN’s Automotive Aftermarket and Heavy Duty Truck Aftermarket business segments in the western U.S. Giles is based in the Dallas, TX area where he resides with his family.
BCA has over a century of experience supplying wheel end solutions in America. Today BCA is owned by NTN, a global manufacturer of wheel hub assemblies and bearings. As the #1 supplier of OE-quality hub assemblies, we fulfill more than 30% of the demand for North American OE vehicle production from our Elgin, Illinois plant. In the Aftermarket, this gives BCA the advantage of providing highly-engineered replacement parts that meet or exceed the OE engineering specifications. We leverage this expertise to offer application full-line coverage for both domestic and foreign nameplates. For more information, visit bcabearings.com.
Founded in 1918, NTN is one of the world’s largest producers of premium quality ball and roller bearings, long recognized for the most stringent quality standards in the industry. With plants around the globe and a strong domestic manufacturing network, over 80% of the products sold by NTN in North America are made by one of the ten plants the company operates in the USA and Canada. NTN USA Corporation serves as the headquarters and holding company of NTN’s entities across the Americas, including its subsidiary companies for manufacturing and sales.
ITW Permatex
ITW Permatex has named Ashley Khan as marketing manager for the Permatex and Versachem portfolio of products.
Paco Agrafojo, Permatex director of marketing, made the announcement and noted that Khan will be based in Hartford, CT and lead a team of brand marketers in the Permatex Engine Repair Group.
Khan joins Permatex in her third role with Illinois Tool Works, most recently serving as the Brand Marketing Manager for Permatex Canada, Inc., where she managed the company’s popular Rain-X, Slime, Fix-A-Flat, Black Magic, and Gumout brands, successfully driving significant growth in Permatex’s Car Care and Tire Repair portfolios.
Agrafojo added, “We are very excited to have Ashley Khan on our marketing team. She comes to us with an intimate knowledge of our company and our brands that will allow her to hit the ground running. She is very familiar with our team and our markets and is in an excellent position to make an immediate and significant contribution to our programs.”
Prior to joining Permatex Canada in 2016, Khan held a variety of roles at several top tier advertising agencies, leading domestic and internationally integrated advertising campaigns for Fortune 500 brands including General Motors, State Farm, and Dell.
Khan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Marketing with a specialty in Media Studies from the University of South Florida.
Continental
Mark Pascuzzo has joined Continental’s North American Import Channel team
Mark Pascuzzo, a veteran of 30-plus years in the automotive aftermarket, has joined Continental’s North American Import Channel team as that key account manager.
Pascuzzo previously was a commercial sales manager for a major worldwide aftermarket company with responsibility for North America. In addition, he was a district manager for a major auto parts company in the automotive aftermarket, focusing on import channels.
“We are very excited to have Mark on our team. He is a valuable asset,” said Stefan Feder, Continental’s head of import channel, sales and marketing. “Mark’s experience and success in the Import Channel will accelerate the further integration of our recently acquired Continental branded belt and kit business.” Pascuzzo’s appointment is effective immediately.
Eucon Canada
Kumar Saha – an experienced automotive market research and consulting professional – to lead the Canadian operations of data solutions and intelligence services provider Eucon of North America.
The Atlanta, Georgia-based company has opened a fully-owned subsidiary in Toronto.
Eucon Canada Ltd. was established to provide Canadian customers with better and more focused support, while also pursuing the development of new business. It aims to be one of the leading providers of market information and data-based solutions for automotive and parts manufacturers in the region.
“Eucon is expanding internationally in order to further establish itself as one of the market leaders for data-based, digital solutions and market analysis critical to steering revenue and profitability in automotive aftersales. Despite the current COVID-19 crisis, Eucon remains committed to serving its customers in a safe and sustainable way. As a critical automotive market with an established client base, Canada was a natural fit in our global growth strategy,” says Bjoern Rietschel, president, Eucon of North America, LLC.
Saha joins the company as managing director of Eucon Canada Ltd. In addition to this role, Saha will also act as Head of Market Intelligence for the Americas region. Saha is a seasoned thought leader with more than 12 years of experience in the automotive industry in various roles. Saha holds strong relationships across OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, retailer / distributors and tech companies, and he regularly advises executives and market intelligence teams.
Saha is well regarded in the industry. He regularly speaks at conferences and is often interviewed by mainstream and trade media. He also serves on the executive committee of the Mobility Technology Council – the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association’s (AASA) newest body bringing together new technology and traditional automotive companies.
“I am delighted to be able to bring my expertise to Eucon. With the company’s focus on bringing digital tools and big data analytics to the automotive aftermarket, there is a lot of growth potential in North America that I hope to leverage together,” says Kumar Saha.
With about 400 employees, Eucon serves 250 clients in more than 80 countries from global offices in Europe, North and Latin America and Asia-Pacific.
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