FPV hangs tough

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EX-GM MARKETING CHIEF RETURNS TO DETROIT WITH FORD’S AD AGENCY
By TERRY MARTIN
FORMER General Motors vicepresident
of sales, service and
marketing, Mark LaNeve, has joined
the Ford Motor Company’s global
advertising agency Team Detroit.
Reporting to the CEO of ‘Global
Team Ford’ Satish Korde and based
at Team Detroit headquarters in
Dearborn, Michigan, Mr LaNeve will
lead the strategy and overall operations
for the Ford and Lincoln businesses
worldwide at the fi rm, which is part of
the giant UK-based WPP media group.
“Ford is an iconic brand with
outstanding leadership, great products
and an even better future,” Mr
LaNeve said. “With several options
for returning to the industry I love,
returning home to Detroit to be part of
the Ford team through WPP was simply
an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
Mr LaNeve was most recently
executive vice-president and chief
Australia’s No.1
marketing offi cer at
Allstate Insurance
Company, having
worked there for
almost three years
after leaving GM in
October 2009.
As well as many
Mark LaNeve
years’ experience in
senior executive roles at GM, including
general manager for Cadillac and
GM North America vice-president
of marketing and advertising, Mr
LaNeve spent four years (1997-2001)
as president and CEO of Volvo Cars of
North America.
Mr Korde said the company had
restructured its business over the past
year and that “the time is right to bring
in a new operational leader who will
help take us to the next level”.
“Mark is not only a great industry
veteran, he’s a seasoned marketing and
automotive executive with a strong
Aug 15, 2012 Page 26
background in retail, luxury and also
the service industry, bringing a diverse
amount of operational experience to
this role,” he said.
Former Holden chairman Alan Batey
currently presides over GM’s sales and
marketing in the US, following his
appointment in May as US sales and
service vice-president and, in recent
weeks, his stepping in as acting global
marketing boss after the unexpected
departure of Joel Ewanick.
While a replacement for Mr Ewanick
is still to be announced, a Bloomberg
report last week quoted sources who said
the marketing chief’s sudden departure
was in part due to not properly disclosing
the full cost of the circa-$600 million
sponsorship deal for Chevrolet with
British soccer club Manchester United.
He was also reportedly disciplined by
GM CEO Dan Akerson after a public
profanity at a conference in Cannes,
France, in June.
MACDONALD HEADS AUSTRALIAN OFFICE OF DRIVE SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS
By TERRY MARTIN
VEHICLE leasing systems fi rm Drive
Software Solutions has announced the
appointment of Nigel MacDonald as
country manager for Australia, based
in a newly established offi ce in Sydney.
In a statement, the company said Mr
MacDonald has 30 years’ experience
in delivering international IT systems
into large public sector organisations,
international enterprises and the
automotive industry.
He was previously chief executive of
healthcare technology systems house
HET Software, and has prior experience
with Kalamazoo Business Systems,
Groupe Bull, FCS Computer Systems,
Recruitment Specialist Anne Taylor George Hennessy Mara Nogarotto
salesservicepartsadmin
– Established 1992 –
1300 666 562
Sheridan Systems and Sodexo.
Headquartered in the UK, Drive
Software Solutions is a privately
owned software company that focuses
on fl eet vehicle management, contract
management and leasing solutions.
The company says it has seen an
increase in demand in the Australian
market due to “the increasing diversity
of vehicle lease contracts, which
have evolved to serve a changing
employment and tax landscape”. This
is particularly due to the increased
popularity of novated leasing.
Les Land
Angela Pirrone
Doug Tame
Nigel
MacDonald
Drive’s managing
director Andrew
Burns said Mr
MacDonald is “highly
experienced and
has exactly the skill
set needed to lead a
business like Drive
Australia”.
“As someone who
has a track record of leading a successful
IT businesses in Australia, Nigel’s role as
country manager will be about building
the on-the-ground infrastructure that
existing customers and new clients need
to deliver the maximum benefi t to their
businesses,” he said.
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