Auto retail giant AutoNation Inc. has named Marc Cannon, its chief marketing officer, to a newly created position of chief customer experience officer.
The move is effective Wednesday and adds technology oversight to his responsibilities. He will continue to oversee brand, advertising, marketing, e-commerce, customer relations and communications.
Cannon, 58, with more than three decades of experience, has helped AutoNation develop digital customer experiences and has participated in strategic planning for technology relating to customer experience.
Cannon said he now oversees information technology including infrastructure, digital, phone, special projects and the company’s information security group. AutoNation’s Chief Information Officer Christos Kotsakis, a senior vice president, now reports to Cannon.
“We have an incredible relationship and he is very talented,” Cannon said of Kotsakis in an email. “This brings all avenues between technology, ops and marketing together in one group.”
AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson called Cannon an “innovative and successful leader.”
“We know that a peerless experience is what customers want and expect from AutoNation, and Marc has been instrumental in creating our customer-focused strategy,” Jackson, who was appointed CEO this month after Cheryl Miller was granted medical leave, said in a statement.
AutoNation, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., ranks No. 1 on Automotive News’ list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., retailing 282,602 new vehicles in 2019.