Former Ford Executive Joins OpenAuto Management Team as Chief Information Officer
5 June 2000
Former Ford Executive Joins OpenAuto Management Team as Chief Information Officer
WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--June 5, 2000--OpenAuto.com, Inc. (www.openauto.com) today announced that Howard Layson, a former thirty-year veteran of Ford Motor Company and former CIO of Ford Credit, joined the company's management team as chief information officer. In the newly created position, Layson will manage the company's technical development team, and will develop strategies to further the company's goal of making its OpenXchange(TM) service the industry-standard inventory solution for automotive e-commerce."Having worked with the leading online consumer car-buying Web sites, I know that OpenAuto's unique B2B service offerings are in terrific demand and therefore uniquely poised for success," Layson said. "I want to play a role in OpenAuto's future by contributing to the definition and expansion of its services."
"Howard's significant automotive industry experience will play a critical role in ensuring that we execute on the appropriate priorities to quickly become the automotive industry's standard inventory solution," said John Truchard, OpenAuto's CEO and president.
Layson, who will report to Truchard, has unparalleled experience and insight regarding the automotive industry's information needs, standards, and operations. He joined Ford Motor Company in the late 1960s and held a variety of positions with increasing levels of managerial responsibilities. He eventually rose to chief information officer for Ford Credit where he was responsible for more than 200 professionals who were charged with product development as well as maintenance of all business and support applications. In the late 1990s, Layson was a director for Big Five consulting firms' automotive practices, including Coopers and Lybrand, and Deloitte and Touche. Most recently, Layson has been engaged in consulting with several business-to-consumer automotive e-commerce companies and automotive lending institutions.
About OpenAuto
OpenAuto is the first business-to-business automotive e-commerce company to offer services that streamline online car sales for automotive e-commerce companies and brick-and-mortar dealers. Its core service, OpenXchange(SM), gives automotive e-commerce companies access to a national database of immediately available, priced new car inventory which automates the task of locating dealer inventory to fulfill online consumer demand. OpenAuto's suite of services enables automotive e-commerce companies to focus on consumer experience and brand building; accelerates speed to market for emerging automotive e-commerce companies; and enables brick-and-mortar dealers to offer on their own Web sites the same sophisticated functionality as established online car buying services. Founded in March 1999, OpenAuto is a venture-backed company based in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, please visit www.openauto.com, or call 925.974-8700.