STELLA Automotive AI announces the appointment of Rich Sands as the company’s new chief executive officer. With over 25 years of product and business leadership within the global automotive industry, Sands brings a wealth of experience from executive roles at Ford, J.D. Power and Microsoft.
“STELLA delivers breakthrough AI technology to the automotive retail industry, driving quantifiable improvements to dealership operations and customer satisfaction,” says Sands. “I’m honored and excited to lead this talented team as we define the AI space and deliver game-changing technology specifically engineered for our industry.”
“STELLA is in a hyper growth cycle, and Rich is the ideal person to lead our team,” Josselyn Boudett, founder and chairman of STELLA, said. “His big data expertise and experience with dealership operations are perfectly aligned to drive the STELLA roadmap. We are confident Rich will drive the AI narrative for STELLA and bring even more world-class conversational AI products to the market.”
With a strong background in the automotive sector, Sands founded True North Enterprises and served on the boards of Urban Science, Pursuit Alert and Autometrics. He is also a strategic advisor to The Presidio Group, a prominent independent merchant banking firm in the automotive retail and consumer mobility sectors. Sands holds a Master of Business Administration from Florida Metropolitan University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Central Michigan University.
“Rich is the right leader for STELLA,” Mike Maroone, CEO of Maroone USA and investor in STELLA Automotive AI, said. “His knowledge and proven experience will drive innovative AI solutions that strengthen customer satisfaction and deliver measurable operating results for automotive retailers.”
Geoffrey Pohanka, chairman of the Pohanka Automotive Group and investor in STELLA Automotive AI noted, “STELLA offers an automotive AI engine that is transforming the automotive retail marketplace. Rich Sands brings the necessary expertise to guide the STELLA team and ensure that the technology continues to enhance the interaction between consumers and dealerships.”
