Mercedes-Benz Canada Appoints Four Seasoned Employees to Key Positions

TORONTO, Oct. 31, 2016 /CNW/ - Mercedes-Benz Canada announced today that long-time employees Billy Rodrigues and Graham MacNab, as well as Christopher Goczan and David Sherrard, will effectively exchange positions and responsibilities effective January 1, 2017.

Billy Rodrigues joined Mercedes-Benz Canada in March 2009 as the Central Region Manager. During his tenure, he was instrumental in building a strong foundation of support and trust with the Central Region dealers. For the last several years, Billy deftly led the Central Region team and the Central Region dealers. Together, they generated exponential growth while implementing efficient processes and procedures in all facets of the retail business, which in turn yielded a group of highly successful and profitable dealerships. Billy will now become National Manager, Pre-Owned, Fleet and Remarketing.

Graham MacNab will take over Billy's role as Central Region Manager. Graham's first posting at Mercedes-Benz Canada was in September 2009, when he was hired as the Pre-Owned Sales Manager at the Mercedes-Benz Markham corporate retail store, located north of Toronto. In April 2012, he was transferred to Head Office and took over the role of Pre-Owned Sales Operations Manager, before being promoted to his current role as National Pre-Owned Manager in January 2014. Graham's background also includes extensive retail experience in the positions of General Manager, and New Car and Pre-Owned Sales Manager for various manufacturers. His previous roles have exposed him to the Central Region dealer network on a regular basis, which will certainly be helpful in his new position.

Christopher Goczan will take on the responsibility of National Manager, Sales Operations and Distribution. Chris started with Mercedes-Benz Canada in September 2005 as a Product Manager, and was promoted to his current role of National Product Manager in 2009. Chris's profound passion for the brand and his intimate knowledge of the industry have been instrumental in developing product strategies which have been vital to the company's growth in Canada. He will now have the opportunity to allocate the broad product portfolio that he and his team have built and specified over the years.

David Sherrard began his career at Mercedes-Benz Canada as a Product Manager in April 2009. He was promoted to Manager, Sales Planning and Incentives in 2011 and to National Manager, Sales Planning in 2013. Over the last five years, David was responsible for sales volume planning, sales incentives, market analysis, and employee vehicle programs. David had the challenging responsibility of ensuring that the dealers received the right number of vehicles combined with timely and effective sales programs on a monthly basis. He will be moving to the position of National Manager, Product Management. David's proficiency with all general sales operations topics will provide him with a solid advantage as he returns to his product planning roots.

Billy Rodrigues, Graham MacNab and Chris Goczan will report to Gavin Allen, Vice-President, Sales while David Sherrard will report to Virginie Aubert, Vice-President, Marketing.

President and CEO Brian D. Fulton said, "Mercedes-Benz Canada is in an enviable position to have such competent and well-versed individuals within our existing workforce. In this particular case, it has allowed us to give four colleagues the opportunity to widen the breath of their expertise, while also tapping into a wealth of experience in their respective fields." He added, "All of them have the energy and relevant knowledge that will allow them to hit the ground running to support the dealer network and fulfill our new and pre-owned sales as well as product planning requirements. I wish them all the best in their new endeavours."  

About Mercedes-Benz Canada
Mercedes-Benz Canada is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of the Mercedes-Benz and AMG passenger vehicles, Mercedes-Benz Vans and smart. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. employs approximately 1,500 people in 21 locations across Canada. Through a nationwide network of 11 Mercedes-Benz owned retail operations and 46 authorized dealerships, Mercedes-Benz Canada sold 44,526 vehicles in 2015. This represents the best year ever for the company and has positioned Mercedes-Benz as the top luxury manufacturer in Canada for the second consecutive year.

Further information from Mercedes-Benz is available on the internet at: www.media.mercedes-benz.ca.

SOURCE Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.

For further information: JoAnne Caza, 416-847-7550, [e-mail]; Nathalie Gravel, 416-847-7509, [e-mail]