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Adam Chamberlain, the chief of operations for automotive retailer Lithia & Driveway, will take over as CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA from July. The German premium brand is in the process of reshuffling its leadership team in key markets following the recent appointment of new global sales boss Mathias Geisen.
Mercedes-Benz is poaching the chief of operations of Lithia & Driveway, one of the largest U.S. automotive retailers, to run its national sales company in America.
Effective July 1, Adam Chamberlain takes over from Dimitris Psillakis, current CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA. He will lead MBUSA’s more than 1,600 employees and over 380 dealer partners throughout the United States, reporting to Jason Hoff, the new head of the group’s North American arm.
The move comes as Mercedes’ global sales and marketing chief Mathias Geisen reshuffles management in his division after taking the reins in March from Britta Seeger, who became head of human resources after eight years running sales.
The German premium brand has fallen badly behind archival BMW of late. On a group level, they both sold 2.4 million vehicles last year, but the Mercedes brand only managed a little under 2 million without its van business compared to BMW brand’s 2.2 million cars. Worse, Mercedes’ all-electric vehicles have sold poorly, declining 23% to 185,059 vehicles in 2024, while BMW sold twice as many for a 12% increase.
“Adam is a proven executive with over 30 years of global automotive experience including the past nine years in the U.S.,” said Mercedes sales boss Geisen. “He brings an exceptional blend of strategic and operational excellence in both the manufacturer and retail businesses as well as a strong connection to our team, dealers and customers.”
Between 2016 and 2021, Chamberlain served at Mercedes-Benz USA as vice president of sales and product management, helping to lead the brand’s retail and product strategy in the U.S. market.
MBUSA is responsible for the brand’s second-largest market after China, representing about 16% of overall annual volumes. Excluding its commercial transport vans, Mercedes sold over 324,500 passenger cars led by the GLE crossover built in Alabama.
“We are incredibly grateful for Adam’s leadership as our Chief Operating Officer and the value he brought to Lithia & Driveway,” said Bryan DeBoer, president and CEO of the company, in a statement on Tuesday. “His contributions have helped strengthen our operations, sharpen our offerings and customer awareness, drive growth and advance our strategy.”
