Cars Commerce Inc. said it has appointed Tobias Hartmann as its next chief executive officer, succeeding longtime CEO Alex Vetter, effective Jan. 15, as part of a planned leadership transition.
Hartmann will also join the company’s board of directors. Vetter will step down as CEO and as a board member on Jan. 15. He will remain an advisor through March 3 to support the transition, the company said.
Chicago-based Cars Commerce operates a portfolio of automotive marketplace, digital retailing, appraisal, wholesale and media brands, including Cars.com, Dealer Inspire, AccuTrade and DealerClub.
About the new Cars Commerce CEO
Hartmann most recently served as CEO and chairman of the management board of Scout24 SE Group, the parent company of European real estate marketplace ImmoScout24.
During his tenure, Scout24 reworked its strategy and delivered record revenue and margin performance, according to the company. Before that, Hartmann was president of HelloFresh U.S. and a member of the company’s executive management board, helping scale the meal-kit provider’s U.S. business.
Earlier in his career, he led the carve-out of eBay Enterprise from eBay Inc., forming an independent omnichannel commerce and technology services provider.
“Tobi brings strong sector experience and a proven history of growing businesses to deliver meaningful customer, consumer and shareholder value,” said Scott Forbes, chairman of Cars Commerce.
Forbes said the board conducted a comprehensive CEO succession process before selecting Hartmann.
Hartmann said Cars Commerce is positioned to expand its use of digital tools, data and artificial intelligence (AI) to support automotive retailers and wholesalers.
“It’s an exciting time to leverage digital tools, data and AI to help our customers better compete and grow in the automotive retail and wholesale space,” he said.
Vetter has been with Cars.com since its launch in 1998 and was named CEO in 2014. Under his leadership, the company shifted from an online automotive classifieds business to a broader vertical software and technology platform serving dealers and other automotive industry participants. The company expanded its portfolio through acquisitions including Dealer Inspire, AccuTrade and DealerClub.
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