AMD260 March 2021 American Motorcycle Dealer 260 March 2021 | Page 30

Krys Brown - HardDrive V-Twin Product Director

Western Power Sports ' specialty V-twin division , HardDrive , has a new Product Director , with 22- year V-twin industry veteran Krys Brown bringing her extensive market experience and knowledge to management of the custom parts sector of the WPS business . The Boise-based company announced that after having worked in Inside Sales since 2015 for the V-twin / HardDrive products division , Krys Brown has been promoted to V-Twin Product Director . She takes over the role previously held by Gunnar Heinemeyer . " Brown has consistently demonstrated a tremendous depth of product knowledge , gained through her own handson experience , and she has very successfully developed solid dealer sales relationships that have given her an invaluable insight into market needs and product development
opportunities ," according to WPS . Gunnar Heinemeyer is taking his extensive V-twin / HardDrive product knowledge out on the road in a sales focused role , as the new HardDrive Brand Sales Manager . Gunnar joined WPS in 2013 , working to both develop the HardDrive team and expand HardDrive product offerings . " He has provided a steady hand to manage internal processes across all facets of the V- twin / HardDrive segment .

BMW to abandon INTERMOT and EICMA permanently

" In his new role , Gunnar will be working to bring a dedicated focus to HardDrive sales efforts , actively working in the field to capture new vendors while further cultivating existing vendor relationships . He will also be uniquely positioned to provide invaluable direct-frommarket insights to Krys Brown and the V-twin / HardDrive team , ensuring that WPS continues to meet and exceed the expectations of the market and our valued customers ." www . hdtwin . com

H-D Replaces CCO Larry Hund

H-D has appointed Edel O ' Sullivan as Chief Commercial Officer ( CCO ) to replace existing CCO Larry Hund , who retires from the company following 18 years of service . O ' Sullivan will join Harley-Davidson " with extensive experience in omnichannel retail and durable goods , focusing on commercial excellence and organizational change . She served as a partner at Bain & Company for the past five years of her 14-year tenure , where she led the development of major corporate transformations including the strategic delivery of profitable growth initiatives across multiple industries , with an emphasis on retail , advanced manufacturing and OEMs ." Previously , O ' Sullivan worked in financial planning and analysis for a division of Procter & Gamble . She holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the Universidad Simon Bolivar in Caracas , Venezuela , and an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School . " Edel has an excellent track record of effectively building commercial and organizational strategies , based on
Described as a realignment of its strategy for product launches , BMW Motorrad has announced that it will no longer exhibit at the two major international European trade fairs that it has historically supported from its head office corporate communications budgets - INTERMOT and EICMA . " New live and digital formats will increasingly take the place of traditional trade fair appearances at BMW Motorrad in the future . In particular , this means that the traditional commitments at the two leading motor shows EICMA in Milan and INTERMOT in Cologne , which were previously organized centrally by BMW Motorrad , will no longer apply .
" This realignment of the communication strategy for new BMW Motorrad products and offers includes
in-house BMW Motorrad and BMW Group formats as well as external formats - both live and digital - taking into account the respective defined requirements of the different target groups and media genres ." Dr . Markus Schramm , Head of BMW Motorrad , is quoted as stating : " Our strategic communication realignment in which we make use of increased live and digital formats will enable us to inspire even more people worldwide for BMW Motorrad products and offers in the future and to approach them in an optimally targeted manner . " By using our own trade fairindependent live and digital formats , we cannot only time world premieres and product launches more flexibly , but it also enables more intensive interaction with all target groups as well as an increased information reach ." The company says that it will " continue to present its product range to visitors at selected regional motorcycle shows and will be open to new formats ," but not ones where it would actually mean meeting , you know , people !
clear market and consumer insights , that deliver strong financial and operational results ," said Jochen Zeitz , Chairman , President and CEO of Harley-Davidson . " She will bring new perspectives and capabilities to our leadership team as we execute the priorities of our 5-year strategy , The Hardwire ." Hund , 64 , will work closely with O ' Sullivan through the transition ensuring a consistent handover . Prior to taking on the CCO role , Hund was President of HDFS for 11 years . The company will continue to leverage Hund ' s knowledge and experience as he will remain chairman of the H-D Financial Services Board of Directors .
30 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - MARCH 2021 www . AMDchampionship . com