Published at: 4th August 2021
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Autovia, the UKs leading automotive content and commerce business, has hired Dan Cohen as its first Chief Product Officer.
Previously a Partner at BCG’s Digital Ventures business, which launched Heycar across Europe, Cohen is an established product leader working in disruptive tech and data-driven businesses. He has also held key product roles at Amazon, Moneysupermarket and Microsoft and was one of the first hires at Secret Escapes, scaling the business from start up to a $600m valuation and helping drive the digital transformation of the travel sector.
In the newly created Chief Product Officer (CPO) role, Cohen is responsible for delivering an integrated product vision across Autovia’s consumer, advertiser and dealer audiences.
The business gives customers looking to purchase a car intelligent, trusted advice and a platform to easily buy the car they want, and provides dealers and OEMs with the most efficient and effective way to market and sell their cars. Traffic to its media brands has grown 62% yoy (Q2 2021 vs 2020) as pent up consumer demand during the pandemic continues to fuel an industry bounce back.
“Thanks to the extraordinary levels of trust and wide reach it commands through its media and ecommerce brands, Autovia has a real advantage when it comes to the changing ways people are finding and buying their next cars” said Dan Cohen.
“Building a product vision and platform to accelerate that potential is a hugely exciting opportunity. I’m thrilled to be part of a great new team that will play such a positive role in shaping the sector over the coming years.”
Andy Oldham, CEO of Autovia said: “From dreaming of and researching their next car, right through to purchase, Autovia uniquely engages car buyers at every stage of their journey.
“Dan brings a perfect blend of experience and insight to the team, having worked in some of the most disruptive, high-growth digital media and ecommerce businesses of the last twenty years.”
Autovia was launched as an independent business by parent company Dennis in March 2021, with JustEat and MoneySuperMarket veteran Peter Plumb as the Chairman and Andy Oldham as CEO.
Its market-leading stable of brands include:
- Auto Express – the UK’s biggest selling weekly car magazine and leading website
- Driving Electric – the UK’s first media brand dedicated to the emerging electric market
- Car Throttle – the UK’s largest social media car community
- Driver Power – the most in-depth survey into the UK car-buying public
- BuyaCar, one of the UK’s leading used car buying websites. Partnering with over 1,400 dealer sites nationwide, it offers the largest online choice of used cars to purchase and have delivered direct to the door.
