By Sentinel News Service
Randy Parker (Courtesy Photo)
Hyundai Motor North America has promoted Randy Parker to be chief executive officer of Hyundai Motor America effective August 1. In this role, Parker assumes responsibility for Hyundai’s commercial automotive operations in the United States. He will report to José Muñoz, president, and CEO of Hyundai Motor North America.
“Randy is the perfect person to continue Hyundai’s recent successes in sales, market share, and growth in the U.S.,” said Muñoz. “I have no doubt that he will continue to strengthen the full Hyundai team and our dealer network.”
“Hyundai has an incredible team assembled by José and our Korean leadership,” Parker said. “I am humbled and honored by the opportunity to lead this organization and continuing the success of the past few years.”
Parker is one of the first African Americans to be named CEO of a major OEM regional market, and he will lead the most diverse C-suite in the automotive industry. In May 2019, Parker was named vice president of national sales at Hyundai Motor America and was promoted to senior vice president in February 2021. During his tenure, Hyundai became one of the fastest growing mainstream brands in the United States, setting an all-time retail sales record in 2021 and growing retail market share 31% since 2020.
Prior to joining Hyundai, Parker was the vice president of Infiniti North America, where he led the brand’s overall performance in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. He has had more than three decades of automotive industry experience and leadership roles at General Motors (GM), GM Acceptance Corporation (GMAC), Nissan, and Infiniti. At Nissan, he served as division vice president, Global Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) sales and marketing where he was responsible for the automaker’s LCV business unit based in Yokohama, Japan. Parker also served as the regional vice president of Nissan USA’s western region.
Parker holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas Christian University. He also completed Executive Management Programs at Harvard and Penn State. In 2021, Parker was named to the Automotive News All-Star list and was also recognized by the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2022 in their prestigious list of industry influencers.
Parker was born in Nuremburg, Germany, but considers himself a native of Texas. He gives much of the credit for his success to the examples of tough, compassionate, and ethical decision making provided by his parents.
“I was raised in a military family that valued hard work, servant leadership, and esprit de corps,” Parker said. “I am a firm believer in the maxim, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’ I have no doubt that the Hyundai team can go farther than anyone ever imagined possible.”
Bob Kim, the general manager for the southern region, has been promoted to vice president of national sales and will report to Parker. Additionally, David VandeLinde has been promoted to vice president, after-sales and will also report to Parker.
