US – As chief operating officer (COO), Brian Smith will look after all aspects of the OEM’s operations in America, including corporate and strategic direction, sales, marketing, customer satisfaction and dealer development. He will report to Kenny Lee, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America.
Smith has spent more than 30 years with Toyota and Lexus, building extensive experience across sales, marketing, dealer development and regional operations. His most recent leadership position was vice-president of retail transformation for Toyota USA. He will start his new role with Hyundai on October 25.
Lee described Smith as “the right person to help lead Hyundai and prepare us for the continued evolution of the auto industry”. He said the company was “focused on a strong close to the year and preparations for several important new product introductions in 2018, starting with Kona”.
