Hyundai Canada has hired auto marketing veteran Donald Romano as its new chief operating officer and given him a number of marketing duties.
Donald Romano
Formerly the president of Mazda Canada, Romano most recently held a chief marketing officer position at ALJ International, where he helped establish Toyota Saudi Arabi. He has also held positions as national brand manager for Mazda in the U.S. and product marketing manager for Nissan North America.
Though Hyundai Canada director of marketing Jennifer Dobbs will continue to drive the company’s marketing initiatives, Romano, who started Monday, will be tasked with a host of marketing responsibilities, including public relations, strategic planning, sales, marketing and service, in addition to a host of non-marketing related areas of the business.
Romano will report directly to CEO Steve Kelleher. According to Hyundai Canada, the COO role is a completely new position and Romano will not displace any of the company’s current marketing staffers.
A spokesperson for Hyundai Canada said there will be no changes to the brand’s marketing strategy as a result of Romano’s appointment.
