Wells Fargo appoints Kyalo interim auto chief risk officer

Wells Fargo earlier this month appointed Joseph Kyalo as the bank’s new interim auto chief risk officer. Kyalo, who announced the decision in an April 1 post on LinkedIn , previously worked at JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup , and has over a decade of combined experience in risk management positions. He joined Wells Fargo in January 2022 as chief risk officer of transformation before moving into the role of managing director and servicing chief risk officer at the bank. Wells Fargo’s auto originations hit $4.6 billion in the first quarter , a 12.2% year-over-year increase, according to the bank’s earnings supplement. Wells Fargo was the 10th-largest bank by outstanding volume at yearend 2023, according to the latest Big Wheels Ranking data . Hyundai shifts leadership positions [caption id="attachment_58350771" align="alignright" width="131"] ( Szymon Walus, Courtesy/Hyundai Motor Company)[/caption] Hyundai Motor announced multiple leadership appointments April 11 that went into effect in March, including: Szymon Walus was promoted to senior vice president and head of strategy and governance; and Robert Grafton became senior vice president and head of global network development for Hyundai and Genesis. Walus, who joined Hyundai in August 2022, previously spent 13 years working for Nissan Motor as the head of chief performance office and in the global acceleration office and China transformation. He also was a partner and associate director at Boston Consulting Group based in France and a consultant at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in Germany, according to a Hyundai release. Grafton, who joined Hyundai in October 2019, spent 17 years at Nissan in roles across network strategy and development, sales management and operations, according to LinkedIn. Both will continue to hold leadership positions at Hyundai Motor Americas and Hyundai Motor North America, according to the release. Hyundai Motor America’s sales rose 10.2% YoY in Q1 to 203,554 vehicles. Nissan Americas names Ma VP of information technology Nissan Americas appointed Lesley Ma to vice president of information technology on April 7, replacing William Orange , who is retiring. Ma previously served as the vice president and chief technology officer of global certification and testing organization NSF International , as well as global chief information officer of Cadillac at General Motors and manager of customer information systems, client infrastructure and client technology at Ford Motor , according to LinkedIn. [caption id="attachment_58350772" align="alignleft" width="178"] Lesley Ma, (Courtesy/Nissan)[/caption] Nissan Motor also initiated over 30 corporate appointments or scope changes for executives, corporate officers and vice presidents on March 19, according to a company release. The changes went into effect April 1. Nissan cut 20% of its top management positions to “enhance decision-making speed and efficiency,” according to the release. Nissan’s U.S. sales rose 5.7% YoY to 267,085 vehicles in Q1. George steps up to CEO at Toyota Connected North America Toyota Connected North America promoted James George , formerly executive vice president and deputy chief executive, to president and chief executive April 1. He succeeds Christopher Yang . George joined Toyota in 2007 and previously served as deputy chief operating officer, general manager and other roles across strategic planning and marketing. He also serves on TCNA’s board of directors. Toyota North America’s sales rose 1% YoY in Q1 to 570,269 vehicles. RumbleOn fires two, appoints Richards independent director, Quartieri CFO Powersports dealer RumbleOn appointed Rachel Richards as an independent director to its board, according to a March 18 release. She succeeds Michael Kennedy , who resigned Jan. 13, according to a March 17 SEC filing. Meanwhile, Michael Quartieri , chairman of the board and chief executive, will serve as interim chief financial officer. He succeeds Tiffany Kice , who was terminated alongside former chief legal counsel Brandy Treadway , effective April 2, according to a March 31 SEC filing. Richards also serves as a board member for Bellevue, Wash.-based fintech DigniFi and as an advisory board member on S&P Global ’s Mobility Council, according to LinkedIn. She previously worked as chief marketing officer for Sonic Automotive and as a director of product marketing for Ford . RumbleOn sold 15,358 vehicles in Q4 2024, down 12.8% from the year prior. Cagle takes over as Solifi CFO [caption id="attachment_58350769" align="alignleft" width="203"] (Mike Cagle, Courtesy/Solifi)[/caption] SaaS provider Solifi appointed Mike Cagle to chief financial officer, according to an April 17 company release. Cagle previously worked as chief financial officer for software development company Smarsh . He’s also been in leadership positions for IT services company Veeam Software and financial services companies Kabbage from American Express and InComm Payments . Auto Finance Summit East 2025 is set for May 12-14 at the JW Marriott Nashville featuring fireside chats with Santander Consumer USA and Chase Auto . Register here for the event.

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