Aston Martin names new regional manager

THE former head of Ferrari and Maserati in Australia, Kevin Wall, has joined Aston Martin as regional manager for Australia and New Zealand.

Mr Wall had spent the past eight years at the helm of the Italian supercar business in Australia, which was part of Neville Crichton’s European Automotive Imports (EAI) – a separate company to Ateco Automotive – before the Ferrari factory took control of its operations here earlier this year.

In a statement, Aston Martin said Mr Wall, who will be based in Sydney, has a proven track record in establishing automotive brands “and brings with him a strong management, marketing and sales background, extensive experience of luxury brands and a thorough understanding of the market”.

EAI took control of Ferrari and Maserati distribution in Australia and New Zealand in October 2005, with Mr Wall a key figure in leading both brands from the outset. He was previously general manager of Alfa Romeo, a position he had held since 2001 when he joined Ateco.

Like Ferrari, Alfa has now returned to factory distribution, although Maserati remains within Mr Crichton’s stable.

New Zealand-born Mr Wall started his Australian career in automotive retailing working for the Alto Ford Group in Sydney. He later moved to Sydney radio station 2Day FM, as head of its marketing and sales division, and had a stint in advertising, before moving back into the car industry with Hyundai.

He subsequently moved to Daewoo Automotive Australia, rising from general manager of sales and marketing to chief operating officer, before making the move into the luxury car sector with Ateco/Alfa.

Glen Sealey remains general manager of Maserati Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Lotus brand, which are still part of EAI. He also now handles public relations for those brands, while Daniel Cotterill remains public affairs consultant for Ateco’s Asian brands (Great Wall, Chery, Foton trucks).

Long-serving PR manager for Ateco and its affiliates, Edward Rowe, who was with the company for almost 15 years, was made redundant when Ferrari finished with EAI.

Mr Rowe worked on all brands in the stable over the years and managed other activities such as PR for the Alfa Romeo yacht racing team. He is now looking for new challenges in the industry.

As GoAuto has reported, Mr Crichton recently joined forces with former Fiat Chrysler Group Australia president and CEO Clyde Campbell to handle the New Zealand distribution of Fiat Chrysler Group products – including Alfa Romeo, Dodge and Jeep – via the newly created Fiat Chrysler NZ Limited.