Asbury Automotive Group, Inc., one of the largest automotive retail and service companies in the U.S., announced the promotion of Daniel Clara to chief operating officer, effective Feb. 17. Clara, who has been with the company for 23 years, most recently served as senior vice president of operations.
“Dan has done a great job leading store operations for Asbury for the past five years,” said Tom Reddin, chair of Asbury’s Board of Directors. “Dan’s leadership has contributed to significant same-store growth, successful integration of several large acquisitions, and, importantly, value creation for our shareholders.”
Before his role as senior vice president of operations, Clara held various leadership positions within Asbury, including regional vice president, market director, general manager and other store-level roles. His promotion expands his responsibilities to include the company’s development and innovation team, as well as key functions within its marketing division.
“I am very excited that the board appointed Dan to the position of chief operating officer. It is a well-deserved promotion,” said David Hult, Asbury’s president and CEO. “With the totality of Dan’s growing responsibilities, he will have an even larger impact on enabling an industry-leading guest experience and the go-to-market strategies in our stores.”
Clara expressed his gratitude for the opportunity, acknowledging Hult’s mentorship and the support of Asbury’s leadership team. “I am honored and grateful to take on a larger leadership role and look forward to driving further growth for the company,” Clara said. “I look forward to continuing the work alongside our team members in pursuit of our mission: to become the most guest-centric automotive retailer.”
