Carsales.com.au veteran Jeff Browne will be replacing Wal Pisciotta as chairman of Australia’s leading automotive classifieds company.
Browne hopes to lead Carsales into a prosperous future by strengthening relationships with car dealers and manufacturers, and leveraging its recent investments in Stratton Finance, RateSetter and AutoInspect in the private market.
“I’m very excited because I think it’s a great company with outstanding management. It’s very creative, very tech savvy and it’s an incredible energetic environment,” Browne told Sydney Morning Herald.
Browne brings a wealth of media and automotive experience to the role. He re-joined the board of Carsales in 2013 after stepping down in 2011 to serve as managing director of Australian news broadcast channel Nine.
The leading player in the local online classifieds space, Carsales is entering an interesting point in its history. The portal has recently invested in new bolt-on businesses and taken stakes in companies in Brazil, South Korea and other parts of south-east Asia to keep ahead of the curve.
Browne plans to keep this growth tracking well.
“There are good levers in the business to achieve growth. In Australia, we need to continue to deliver great value to dealers and work with the manufacturers to assist them to market and sell their vehicles,” he said.
“We need to continue to service the private seller and buyer market, and the addition of Stratton Finance to the Carsales group and the recent investment in RateSetter and AutoInspect gives us some opportunities to offer an even greater service to private sellers and purchasers.”
