Atlanta — Drew Slaven, longtime head of marketing and interim CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, has left the company.
In a note to dealers of brands reviewed by car newsDimitris Sirakis, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, said his chief marketing officer had decided to retire.
“After careful consideration and consultation with his family and colleagues at MBUSA, [Slaven] In a memo dated Jan. 31, Psillakis said he had decided to retire.
A source briefed on the matter said car news One of the company’s tenured executives, Slaven, was “fighting” with leadership. Slaven did not attend his Mercedes make-up meeting at his NADA show last month.
Slaven, 56, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment through his LinkedIn account.
It’s unlikely that marketing executives ran out of Madison Avenue if Slaven walked or gently pushed.
company officials said car news Slaven has another job lined up, but declined to discuss the details.
Slaven joined Mercedes-Benz USA in 2002 as Division Manager of National Advertising and Brand Strategy. During his tenure, Slaven held roles in Brand Experience his marketing, CRM (customer relationship management) marketing, digital and other functions.
In particular, Slaven was responsible for the financial and legal negotiations in purchasing the naming rights to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons NFL franchise. In a memo, Psilakis called the deal “the company’s biggest marketing effort to date.”
The loss of Slaven’s organizational knowledge is a blow to Mercedes, said a West Coast dealer.
“He was loyal to Mercedes first and foremost, but he was also an honest man to talk to,” said the dealer. “He cared about his dealers and was transparent.”