“Impel is at the forefront of the AI revolution, and these leadership additions will enable us to deliver a single, unified AI platform and solidify our position as the de facto standard for enterprise-grade automotive AI around the world,” said Impel CEO and Co-founder Devin Daly.
Impel, the global leader in AI Sales and Marketing automation for the automotive industry, announced a number of executive leadership hires and new positions aimed at enhancing enterprise scale and positioning the company for continued long-term expansion. This announcement comes at a time of significant growth for Impel and follows the company’s recently announced acquisition of Outsell, a leading automotive customer engagement platform, in a deal valued at more than $100 million.
“Impel is at the forefront of the AI revolution, and these leadership additions and changes will enable us to deliver a single, unified AI platform and solidify our position as the de facto standard for enterprise grade Automotive AI around the world.”
Eric Portman joins the Company as Chief Technology Officer. An experienced enterprise technologist and engineering leader, Portman has over three decades of experience in designing and delivering mission critical solutions across various industries. Prior to joining Impel, Portman served as Senior Vice President of Product and Engineering at Cox Automotive, where he led a team of more than 1,200 product and engineering professionals around the globe. At Cox, he spearheaded product and technology innovation, including the technical integration of acquired products. Additionally, Portman led the development of proprietary data and machine learning-powered applications, process automation, and customer solutions to drive significant revenue growth and operational efficiencies. Earlier in his career, Portman was Partner and Managing Director in the Technology practice at Accenture, where he delivered technology-powered change programs for clients like Disney, the National Football League, and BellSouth (subsequently acquired by AT&T, Inc.).
“As the category creator and industry standard for enterprise grade Automotive AI, Impel is uniquely positioned to bring cutting-edge AI-enabled process and technology automation to OEMs, dealers, marketplaces, and technology providers alike,” said Portman. “In today’s global economy, helping the industry to effectively adopt and implement purpose-built AI solutions at scale is a strategic imperative to ensure sustained operational performance and profitability. I’m delighted to be a part of this organization, and I can’t wait to contribute to Impel’s vision of a unified AI platform that powers all channels and touchpoints throughout the automotive retail ecosystem.”
Matthew Muilenburg joins Impel as Chief Product Officer. A seasoned technology and product development executive, Muilenburg previously served as Chief Market Development Officer at Marchex, a leading AI-powered conversational intelligence provider. There, he led the unification of the company’s solutions into a verticalized technology platform, leading to significant business growth across multiple sectors. As Senior Vice President and Head of Industry for Automotive at Marchex, Muilenburg established industry dominance in conversational intelligence by delivering verticalized OEM solutions and landing key enterprise clients including General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, and Honda Motors of America. Prior to that, Muilenburg served as Vice President of Global OEM Solutions at CDK, where he led global market expansion as well as product strategy and platform integration of numerous acquisitions. Earlier in his career, Muilenberg held roles as Vice President of Social Media Products at ADP and Vice President of Product Solutions at Cobalt Group.
“Impel has an established track record of success in enabling automotive manufacturers and retailers to deliver consistently exceptional experiences across the customer journey, while enhancing operational efficiency and profitability,” said Muilenburg. “As we bring to market the auto industry’s first end-to-end AI Sales and Marketing Automation platform, the opportunities for growth are limitless. I look forward to working with the team to deliver AI and technology innovations that drive unprecedented levels of success for automotive enterprises around the world.”
Read More: SalesTechStar Interview with Kristy Schafer, Vice President of US Sales at Optable
John Clavadetscher, formerly President of Outsell, has been named Impel’s Chief Commercial Officer. A veteran automotive industry leader, Clavadetscher brings more than 25 years of experience successfully scaling high-growth software and digital companies. At Outsell, Clavadetscher was instrumental in dramatically increasing revenue, bookings, and retention, which led to the acquisition by Impel. Prior to Outsell, Clavadetscher was on the founding team and served as President of Cooler Screens Inc., the largest in-store digital retail media platform in the US. Previously, Clavadetscher was on the founding team and subsequently spent 20 years at Cars Commerce (NYSE: CARS), a leading automotive technology company that includes Cars.com, Dealer Inspire, and AccuTrade. While there, he scaled the company’s go-to-market operations, accelerating revenue and retention in various leadership roles. He was serving as Chief Revenue Officer, leading the commercial and operations functions, when the company went public in 2017.
Steve Saporta, formerly Chief Technology Officer, has been named Impel’s Chief Information Security Officer. This new role reflects the critical importance of global data security and privacy. Data breaches and cyberattacks are a pressing concern worldwide, with the average cost of a breach reaching $4.88 million in 2024 (the highest yearly jump since the pandemic), according to IBM’s Data Breach Report. The business and reputational risks of cyber incidents are higher than ever, and the need for trusted partner policies and systems is paramount. In his new role, Saporta will spearhead Impel’s continued development and delivery of world-class global information security, privacy, and data protection policies, protocols, processes, and systems. Additionally, he will oversee the continued availability and reliability of the Company’s SaaS (Software as a Service) and AI solutions, ensuring optimal performance for the automotive retailers and OEMs who depend on Impel technology to support core business operations.
Andrew Lumsden, formerly Chief Product Officer, has been appointed to the newly created role of Senior Vice President of Platform Services. As Impel continues to make significant inroads with automotive OEMs, marketplaces, and enterprise groups around the world, the ability to deliver customized enterprise applications and globally scalable platforms has become critical to company growth. To meet these needs, Lumsden will lead the development of shared services and applications, as well as expanding the company’s ecosystem of technical integrations and client engineering capabilities across the globe. Additionally, Lumsden will spearhead the development of enterprise-level product testing and experimentation processes, enabling greater data utilization and application across the company.
“The adoption of AI in automotive is accelerating at a breakneck pace across all geographies and sectors of the industry. Vertical AI models and applications are becoming indispensable to automotive retailers, marketplaces, and OEMs around the world as the foundational engine that unlocks additional value from existing data and operational systems,” said Devin Daly, CEO and Co-Founder of Impel. “Our recent acquisition of Outsell creates a powerhouse of more than 170 Engineering, R&D, and Product Development specialists focused on creating unparalleled AI solutions and seamlessly integrated products – and we’ll continue to scale the organization to drive global growth. Impel is at the forefront of the AI revolution, and these leadership additions will enable us to deliver a single, unified AI platform and solidify our position as the de facto standard for enterprise grade Automotive AI around the world. I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Eric and Matt to the team, and to see John, Steve and Andrew take on critical new roles where they’ll continue to make meaningful impact on our business. Onward!”