Mark Barnes
COO, Volkswagen Group of America

Mark Barnes is Chief Operating Officer for Volkswagen of America, Inc. Mark joined the company in 2007 and is responsible for setting the strategic direction, definition and development of customer service, sales and after-sales for Volkswagen of America, Inc. 

Barnes has more than 25 years of automotive industry experience.  Prior to joining VW, Barnes served as director of the western region business center for Chrysler.  Before that, Barnes was vice president for national sales at Hyundai Motor America.  He has also held senior sales and management positions at Nissan North America including roles in regional marketing and dealer operations.

Barnes holds a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing and music from Indiana State University.

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Jim Farley is group vice president of Global Marketing and Canada, Mexico and South America operations for the Ford Motor Company. He is the company’s most senior marketing leader, reporting directly to Alan Mulally, Ford’s president and chief executive officer.

Effective Sept. 1, 2009, Farley added leadership of Ford’s operations in Canada, Mexico and South America, reporting directly to Mark Fields, Ford’s president, The Americas.

Farley, 47, joined Ford in November 2007. He is leading Ford’s drive to connect even more closely with customers through integrated global marketing, advertising, digital communications, brand development and research. He will also continue working closely with Ford's product development organization on strategy and planning and overseas operations. Farley's achievements at Ford include improving overall operation fitness of the company's marketing and sales operations, his work to globally align the brand, and integration of the global marketing and sales team.

The Chief Marketing Office and Operations staff from Canada, Mexico and South America report to Farley.

Prior to joining Ford, Farley was group vice president and general manager of Lexus, responsible for all sales, marketing and customer satisfaction activities for Toyota’s luxury brand. Before leading Lexus, Farley served as group vice president of Toyota Division marketing and was responsible for all Toyota Division market planning, advertising, merchandising, sales promotion, incentives and Internet activities.

Farley joined Toyota in 1990 in the strategic planning department. He served in several product and marketing positions, including Lexus product planner, manager of Toyota truck product planning, manager of the Toyota truck series team marketing and national advertising manager. He also was general manager of product management for Toyota Europe.

One of Farley’s most noted accomplishments is his responsibility for the successful launch and rollout of Toyota’s new Scion brand. As Scion corporate manager, Farley focused on product development, sales planning, customer services, logistics and distribution. He later was promoted to vice president of Scion and was responsible for all Scion activities.

Farley attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and computer science, and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he completed his MBA with a focus in finance. Farley and his wife, Lia, have two children.

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Jim Lentz is president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. Lentz is also a member of the company’s board of directors, and serves in a global advisory capacity as managing officer for the parent company Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan.

He has overall responsibility for sales, marketing and distribution for Toyota, Scion and Lexus products in the United States, in addition to overseeing all corporate matters at TMS.

In 1982, Lentz joined Toyota as the merchandising manager for its Portland Region, where he later became the distribution manager and field operations manager. He held several positions at TMS headquarters in Torrance, Calif., including field training manager, sales administration manager, and truck sales team member. Lentz also served as vice president of marketing services for the Central Atlantic Toyota Region, located in Maryland.

In 1995, Lentz was promoted to general manager for Toyota's San Francisco Region, and he later became general manager of the Los Angeles Region. As vice president of Scion, Lentz was responsible for the initial launch of a new line of vehicles for the next generation of new-car buyers. Lentz also served as group vice president of marketing, Toyota Division. He also held the position of general manager of TMS' Toyota Division, where he oversaw all sales logistics and marketing activities for Toyota, Scion and Central Atlantic Toyota Distributors.  Most recently, Lentz served as executive vice president of TMS. 

He is on the board of trustees for the College for Creative Studies, serves as assistant secretary/treasurer and member of the board of directors for The Association of International Automobile Manufacturers (AIAM) and is a member of the executive advisory board for his alma mater, Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver.

Lentz earned a bachelor's degree in marketing and economics and a Masters in Business Administration – Finance from the University of Denver.

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John McElroy is the host of “Autoline Daily” the first industry webcast of industry news and analysis. He is also the host of the television program “Autoline Detroit,” a weekly half-hour discussion program featuring top automotive executives and journalists. The show can be seen online at www.autolinedetroit.tv. McElroy also broadcasts five radio segments daily on WWJ Newsradio 950, the CBS affiliate in Detroit. He writes a weekly blog for Autoblog.com and a monthly op-ed article for Ward’s AutoWorld.

John McElroy brings an extensive background to covering the auto industry. He took his first plant tour when he was only six years old. As he got older, he read any and every book about cars he could get his hands on, which led to an understanding of automotive engineering principles. As his enthusiasm for cars grew, he successfully—though briefly—ventured into amateur road racing. He also gained valuable insight to the industry working as an hourly UAW employee in various automotive manufacturing plants while working his way through college, where he earned a Bachelors Degree in English at Wayne State University.

As a journalist, McElroy put his automotive background to good use. His past experience includes five years as Detroit Editor for Road & Track, and as the American correspondent for World Cars, which was published by the Automotive Club of Italy. He was also invited to write the annual automotive entry for the Encyclopedia Britannica Yearbook. He spent most of his career at the trade magazine Automotive Industries where he ultimately rose to Editorial Director.

McElroy has appeared as an automotive expert on ABC World News Tonight, CBS News, and NBC Nightly News. He is often interviewed by CNN, NPR, and CBC in Canada. He is frequently asked to speak to automakers, suppliers and industry organizations. He is a member of the jury of the North American Car and Truck of the Year.

McElroy has won numerous awards for editorial excellence, particularly the Jesse H. Neal award in 1984 for his series titled, “Inside Japan,” and in 1995 and 1997 for his Editorial opinion pieces. In 1997 he was named “Communicator of the Year” by the Sales and Marketing Executives of Detroit. He was awarded first place in the International Wheels Awards in 2004 for his television documentary “The Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise” and in 2005 for his documentary “Challenge Bibendum” and second place in 2006 for “A Car Is Born.”

John McElroy is a thorough student of the industry as a print journalist, television and radio broadcaster, analyst and lecturer.

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Brian Miller
Chairman, Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association

From the outside he looks to have one of the most glamorous jobs in the world.  Who wouldn’t like to sell Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Porsche and Lotus cars to the rich and famous?   But, like all entrepreneurs in the automobile industry Brian Miller is faced with a barrage of complex non-auto related issues that consume much of his time and energy.  He has to contend with everything from franchise law changes, vehicle allocation problems, and government agencies initiatives to employee relations issues, and ever-changing EPA mandates, but he is also a believer that a strong, empowered trade association can take much of this kind of pressure out of the dealers hands allowing them to get on with the business of selling and servicing new and used vehicles.  It is this belief that led to his active participation and commitment to the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA). 

Brian became a GNYADA director in 1999.  An enthusiastic, hands-on businessman, he embraced his new role and was quickly chosen to work on the Employee Relations and Activities Committees.  He was soon recruited by the Government Relations and Auto Show Committees and has been Chairman of the Public Relations Committee since 2004, the same year he was nominated to the Association’s Executive Committee.  Brian was appointed GNYADA Chairman in June, 2008, having served as Vice Chairman since 2004.

Brian is a board member of both the Bentley and Rolls Royce dealer councils and has received many industry awards for outstanding customer service.  He is also a huge contributor to charities and good causes.  He has sponsored many events and helped raise funds for charities including the Westchester County March of Dimes, Boys and Girls Club of America, the East Side House Settlement, Children for Chernobyl Charity, the Columbus Foundation, the Cancer Fertility Association, NYU Toys for Tots, and the Peconic Medical Center. 

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O'Donnell is also Chairman and CEO of BMW (US) Holding Corp. from July 1, 2008. In this position, he is responsible for all sales, marketing and distribution activities for the BMW and MINI brands in Canada, US and Mexico. O'Donnell also serves as Chairman of the BMW NA Management Board.

Prior to his arrival in the US, O'Donnell was Managing Director of BMW (UK) Ltd., a position he held from June, 2000. Under his leadership, sales of BMW vehicles in the UK rose from 67,676 in 2000 to 121,575 in 2007. Sales of MINI in the same period grew to 47,661, while motorcycle sales grew from 2,745 to 5,251.

Previously, O'Donnell was appointed to the position of Sales and Marketing Director of BMW of South Africa from May, 1997. Prior to this he held the positions of Director of Sales, Commercial Manager and Dealer Development Manager at BMW (UK) Ltd. from 1990 to 1997.

Before joining the BMW Group in 1990, O'Donnell held various positions at Ford Motor Company where he began his automotive career in 1979.

O'Donnell has a LLB in Scots Law from the University of Glasgow and is a qualified Member of the Institute of Management Accountants.

John H. Weber is serving as President and Chief Executive Officer for Remy International since January of 2006.

Born February 21, 1956, Mr. Weber graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering with Honors. He continued his education at Harvard where he earned a Masters of Business administration with distinction.

Prior to joining Remy Mr. Weber was with EaglePicher, Inc., a global conglomerate of auto parts, mining, and high tech businesses, where he was President and Chief Executive Officer since 2001. Additionally, he served as the President, Industrial Control and Friction Materials for Honeywell International. He has also held significant executive and managerial positions with General Electric, Vickers, Baxter International, AlliedSignal and McKinsey & Company.

His professional affiliations include: Duke Pratt School of Engineering Board of Visitors, Young President’s Organization, and Manufacturer’s Alliance Board of Trustees.

Remy International, Inc., headquartered in Pendleton, Indiana, is a leading manufacturer, remanufacturer and distributor of Delco Remy brand heavy-duty systems and Remy brand starters and alternators, locomotive products and hybrid power technology. The Company also provides worldwide components core-exchange services for automobiles, light trucks, medium and heavy-duty trucks and other heavy-duty, off-road and industrial applications.

Remy was formed in 1994 as a partial divestiture by General Motors Corporation of the former Delco Remy Division, which traces its roots to Remy Electric, founded in 1896.

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