The Daimler Board of Management has appointed Dimitris Psillakis (53) as Head of Marketing and Sales, Mercedes-Benz Cars North America and CEO of MBUSA, effective January 1, 2021. The announcement was made by Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG, responsible for Marketing and Sales, to whom Psillakis will report. Psillakis, who was appointed as the President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada, succeeds Nicholas Speeks, who after more than 40 years will leave the company and pursue opportunities outside of Daimler. Psillakis will be based in Atlanta, GA.
"Dimitris is a proven leader who successfully expanded the growth of Mercedes-Benz in key markets around the world," said Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG, responsible for Marketing and Sales. "I am confident Dimitris will continue to advance our North American operations during this time of unprecedented transformation. I would also like to thank Nick Speeksfor his outstanding commitment and engagement around the globe over the past decades, and wish him all the best for the future."
In his new role, Psillakis will assume overall responsibility for Mercedes-Benz Cars in the United States and Canada. He will lead MBUSA's more than 1,600 employees and more than 380 dealer partners throughout the U.S. as well as an additional 1,200 employees and almost 60 authorized dealers throughout Canada. Psillakis will continue as President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada for the remainder of the year. A successor to his current role as President and CEO will be communicated at a later date. For the interim period, MBUSA's VP of Marketing Drew J. Slaven will continue to serve as acting Head of Marketing and Sales, Mercedes-Benz Cars North America, and CEO of MBUSA.
Psillakis joined Daimler AG in 1992 as a management trainee with Mercedes-Benz Hellas (MBH) and rose through the ranks of the Greek subsidiary, culminating in his promotion to general manager of passenger cars in 2001. In 2009, Psillakis moved to Mercedes-Benz do Brasil Ltda to serve as managing director for passenger cars in South America and Vans Sales Brazil. In the following six years, his team managed to triple the sales volume and reach the #1 spot in Brazil. In 2015, Psillakis joined Mercedes-Benz Korea (MBK) as President and CEO. Under his leadership, the South Korean market expanded to the 5th largest in the world for Mercedes-Benz Cars while achieving top-ratings in customer satisfaction.
Psillakis is a native of Greece and holds degrees from the University of Kent at Canterbury and The Imperial College Business School at the University of London, UK.
