AUTOMOTIVE ROUNDTABLE BIOS
Gary Dilts
Senior Vice President
Gary Dilts is Senior Vice President, Global Automotive for J.D. Power and Associates. He is responsible for leading the company’s long-term automotive strategy and executive level client interaction within the global automotive industry.
Mr. Dilts joined J.D. Power and Associates after more than three decades of automotive experience with DaimlerChrysler. He served as senior vice president for the Chrysler Group, with responsibility for all car and truck sales, dealer development, customer field operations and retail marketing strategies. Prior to that, he held many executive positions, including serving as the first senior vice president for DaimlerChrysler’s eConnect platform. In this position, he led a cross-functional team responsible for the digital conversion of all major functions within the company, including product creation, volume production and all customer-facing applications.
During Mr. Dilts’ tenure at Chrysler, he sponsored and implemented the Chrysler Five Star Program, which, after 15 years, remains the longest-standing customer-based dealer performance program in the industry. Mr. Dilts also served as chairman of Global Electric Motors (GEM), a wholly owned subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler and one of America’s first “Totally Green” automobile manufacturers. GEM cars are 100% battery-electric and are engineered to meet federal safety requirements for street-legal operation.
Mr. Dilts graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Maryland. Additionally, he has completed Advanced Management programs at Harvard and Duke Universities.
David Sargent
Vice President
Dave Sargent is Vice President, Auto Research at J.D. Power and Associates. He oversees all of the company’s syndicated automotive research in the United States, including the Initial Quality Study (IQS), Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), Customer Service Index (CSI) Study, Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study and the company’s media studies. He also oversees the coordination of all syndicated IQS, APEAL and Customer Satisfaction Index studies worldwide. Mr. Sargent is based in the company’s Troy, Mich., office.
Previously, Mr. Sargent was the practice leader of J.D. Power and Associates’ European operations. He established the company’s London office in 1995 and managed syndicated customer satisfaction studies for cars, tires and roadside assistance as well as proprietary quality and customer satisfaction studies in automotive manufacturers and other industries. He was also responsible for coordinating much of the company’s global research activities for European clients.
Mr. Sargent earlier worked at the company’s corporate offices in Westlake Village, Calif., where he was primarily responsible for the Initial Quality Study and a number of proprietary quality studies.
Before joining J.D. Power and Associates in 1992, Mr. Sargent worked for a UK consulting firm specializing in competitor analysis as well as for Ford of Europe and the Rover Group.
Mr. Sargent holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of York and an MBA from Manchester Business School.
Rodney Wright
Vice President and General Manager
Rodney Wright is the Vice President and General Manager of the Automotive Operations at J.D. Power and Associates. His responsibilities include strategy, new product development, major proposal development, financial management and personnel management. Prior to his current role, Mr. Wright was the vice president and general manager of the company’s automotive retail practice.
Prior to joining J.D. Power and Associates, Mr. Wright worked for 15 years with Accenture, LLP, the world’s largest management and technology consulting firm. As a partner in the global automotive practice at Accenture, he provided consulting and advisement services to major domestic and international automotive OEMs, suppliers and retailers.
Mr. Wright received a bachelor’s degree in industrial and operations engineering and an MBA from the University of Michigan.
Tom Libby
Senior Director
Tom Libby is Senior Director of Industry Analysis in the U.S. Automotive Division at J.D. Power and Associates. Mr. Libby is editor of several of the company’s publications, including the Weekly U.S. Light Vehicle Sales Report, the U.S. Sales Report (monthly), and PIN PowerPlay (Canada). Mr. Libby also provides data to the media, and he is responsible for the development and presentation of the annual J.D. Power and Associates Franchise Assessment.
Previous to his current assignment, Mr. Libby, who joined J.D. Power and Associates in 1995, spent four years in the Performance Improvement Practice. Prior to joining the company, he worked at Ford Motor Company for 11 years, initially in the Ford Division and subsequently with the Lincoln-Mercury Division.
Mr. Libby is President and a member of the board of directors of the Society of Automotive Analysts, and he is also an active member of the Automotive Press Association.
Mr. Libby received a bachelor’s degree in history from Amherst College and an MBA with a concentration in marketing from Columbia University. He has served as an Adjunct Professor of Market Research at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.
Michael J. Dunne
Managing Director, China Operations
Michael Dunne is Managing Director of China operations for J.D. Power Asia Pacific. He was named to this position on January 1, 2007.
Mr. Dunne is also the Founder and President of Automotive Resources Asia Ltd. (ARA), a division of J.D. Power and Associates that specializes in Asian automotive markets. Mr. Dunne oversees both J.D. Power Asia Pacific’s China operation and ARA’s operation in Bangkok.
Mr. Dunne has 14 years of hands-on experience in Asian markets, advising global auto makers and suppliers on business strategy. He is a guest speaker at key global automotive industry conferences, including the Management Briefings Seminars in Traverse City, Michigan; the Financial Times Automotive Conference in Frankfurt, Germany; and the Automotive News Asia-Pacific Congress.
Leading industry and business media and publications Dow Jones, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times routinely secure Mr. Dunne’s views on the future trends of the Asian auto markets. His opinion pieces have been published by Automotive News, The Wall Street Journal and the Detroit Free Press. He also has been interviewed on BBC, CNBC and CNN.
Mr. Dunne is currently writing a business book that features his experiences on how to succeed in the China market.
Mr. Dunne earned a master’s degree in Chinese history and an MBA at the University of Michigan. He speaks and reads Mandarin Chinese and Thai.
Peter Brown
Vice President/Associate Publisher
Automotive News Group
Peter Brown became editor of Automotive News in February 1989. Since then, he has led the expanding Automotive News Group to dramatic growth and greater global prominence. Today, as Vice President, Editorial Director and Associate Publisher of the Automotive News Group, he oversees more than 65 automotive reporters and editors around the world and leads the newspaper’s sales and circulation departments. The Automotive News Group comprises three trusted publications and Web sites, as well as daily and weekly e-newsletters and regular news bulletins.
In 1996, Mr. Brown and Publisher Keith Crain launched Automotive News Europe, and he became executive editor and associate publisher of this publication as well. This successful pan-European publication was followed in 2002 by the launch of Automobilwoche, the group’s German-language, German-market newspaper. Both publications are based near Munich.
Mr. Brown joined the Detroit-based Automotive News after serving 4½ years as the founding editor of its sister publication, Crain's Detroit Business. He joined Crain Communications from the Detroit Free Press. Mr. Brown has been a reporter or editor at eight publications and holds many state and national journalism awards.
Mr. Brown earned a bachelor’s degree in politics and government from Ohio Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in theater from the University of Michigan.
Mike Jurecki
Chief Executive Officer
RouteOne LLC
Mike Jurecki is the Chief Executive Officer of RouteOne, a joint venture between DaimlerChrysler Services, Ford Motor Credit Company, GMAC and Toyota Financial Services. The company, headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan, promises to standardize, simplify and streamline the processes involved in procuring automotive financing. Mr. Jurecki’s tenure as RouteOne’s Chief Executive Officer began in March 2002.
Previously, Mr. Jurecki served as the director of operations for Ford Motor Credit’s capital efficiency unit. In addition, he worked for Ford Motor Credit in the United Kingdom as the general manager of the customer service center and as the manager of worldwide trade financing. Mr. Jurecki spent a majority of his 20+ year career with Ford Motor Credit in a number of field positions throughout the country, ranging from assistant customer service representative to branch manager of the largest U.S. branch operation.
Mr. Jurecki earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Eastern Michigan University and MBAs from the University of Detroit and from Canisus College in Buffalo, New York.
Raj Sundaram
Senior Vice President
DealerTrack, Inc.
Raj Sundaram is Senior Vice President, Solutions and Services Group, at DealerTrack, Inc. He is responsible for DealerTrack’s Credit Application, F&I, DMS, Inventory, Chrome and ALG businesses, as well as Customer Support.
Mr. Sundaram previously served as president of ALG, which was acquired by DealerTrack in 2005. Prior to joining ALG as vice president in 1999, he served in various roles within Nissan North America and Ford Motor Company.
Mr. Sundaram earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Mumbai, and a master’s degree in business administration from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.
David Welch
Detroit Bureau Chief
BusinessWeek
David Welch is the Detroit Bureau Chief for BusinessWeek. Previously, he was a correspondent in the Detroit bureau.
Mr. Welch joined BusinessWeek in 2000 after writing on the automobile industry for The Detroit News. Prior to that, he was an associate editor at the Dallas Business Journal.
Mr. Welch is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh.
James Press
Vice Chairman and President
Chrysler LLC
James Press is Vice Chairman and President of Chrysler LLC. He serves in the Office of the Chairman and on the Board of Managers.
At Chrysler, Mr. Press is responsible for North American sales, international sales, global marketing, product strategy and service and parts. Prior to joining Chrysler, he was president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motors North American and a senior managing director of the parent company, Toyota Motor Corporation. Mr. Press has also served as vice chairman, board of managers of Cerberus Operating and Advisory Company LLC; president, Toyota Motor North America; and president and chief operating officer, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. Inc. At Toyota Motor Sales, Mr. Press held various positions in advertising, service, marketing, product planning, market representation and distribution.
Mr. Press was the first international automotive executive elected to chair the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the industry’s top trade group, and served as chairman for a second time during 2006. He has received the “Distinguished Service Citation Award” from the Automotive Hall of Fame.
Mr. Press serves as the Chairman of the Board of Automotive Youth Educational Systems and on the Board of Directors for the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers and the Detroit Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He is a member of the Advisory Board for his alma mater, Pittsburg State University, and the Switzer Center School in Torrance, California. Additionally, Mr. Press serves on the Board of Trustees for the College for Creative Studies in Detroit and the Chadwick School in Rolling Hills, California.
Mr. Press earned a bachelor’s degree from Kansas State College (now Pittsburg State University).
Mike Jackson
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
AutoNation, Inc.
Mike Jackson became Chief Executive Officer of AutoNation, Inc., America’s largest retailer of both new and used vehicles, on October 11, 1999. Effective December 31, 2002, he became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company. AutoNation—a member of S&P 500—is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and is a FORTUNE 500 specialty retailer with approximately $18 billion in annual revenue, 313 new vehicle franchises in 15 states and 23,000 employees. AutoNation also sells more vehicles via the Internet than any other automotive retailer today and was named America’s Most Admired Automotive Retailer in 2007 by FORTUNE Magazine for the fifth time in seven years. In 2007, AutoNation became the first automotive retailer to sell 6 million vehicles.
Prior to joining AutoNation, Mr. Jackson served as president and chief executive officer of Mercedes-Benz USA, Inc., where he was responsible for the U.S. sales operation and its 311 franchised dealerships. Earlier at Mercedes-Benz USA, Mr. Jackson served six years as the U.S. senior marketing executive and helped create the vision and direction that led to the luxury vehicle brand’s reinvigoration in the United States.
Previously, Mr. Jackson served as the managing partner of Euro Motorcars of Bethesda, Maryland, an operator of 11 new-vehicle franchises. He also has served as a Mercedes-Benz district manager and as chairman of the Mercedes-Benz National Dealer Council.
Mr. Jackson was named Automotive Hall of Fame Industry Leader of the Year for 2003, and is the first recipient of the Sports Illustrated All-Star Dealer Award. He is a five-time member of the Automotive News "Dream Team" of automotive executives and a four-time member of the AdvertisingAge "Marketing 100." In 2006, Mr. Jackson received a Sun Sentinel Excalibur Award, given annually to South Florida business leaders, and was named CEO of the Year by South Florida’s CEO Magazine. Mr. Jackson is currently Chair of The Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale.
Mr. Jackson is one of the nation’s leading speakers on energy. Recent speaking engagements include the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College; William J. Clinton School of Public Policy; Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations; and the North American International Powertrain Conference.
Mr. Jackson began his automotive career as a technician at a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
Mark Fields
Executive Vice President
President, The Americas
Ford Motor Company
Mark Fields is Executive Vice President, Ford Motor Company, and President of The Americas, a position he assumed in October 2005. In this role, Mr. Fields is responsible for all operations involved in the development, manufacturing, marketing and sales of Ford, Mercury and Lincoln vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America.
Formerly, Mr. Fields served as executive vice president, Ford of Europe and Premier Automotive Group (PAG). There, he led all activities for Ford's premium vehicle business group, and for Ford-brand vehicles manufactured and sold in European countries. Previously, Mr. Fields was chairman and chief executive officer of PAG.
Mr. Fields joined Ford Motor Company in 1989. From 2000 to 2002, he was president and chief executive officer of Mazda Motor Company, leading the company through a period of significant transformation. Earlier, he held a number of positions in both South and North America, including managing director of Ford Argentina.
Mr. Fields was named a Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in 2000, and was CNBC's Asian Business Leader-Innovator of the Year for 2001.
Mr. Fields earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Rutgers University (USA) and an MBA from Harvard Graduate School of Business.