See Also: Former Ford Exec Joins Motormindz
Former Global BMW Executive Joins motormindz
Alan Harris, who most recently served as CEO of BMW in Malaysia, has joined motormindz as a senior partner. He will help lead the global assessment and implementation of solutions and technologies aimed at solving challenges across the automotive vertical.
DETROIT — motormindz Inc., a global automotive professional services and technology accelerator, announced today that former Global BMW executive Alan Harris will join its team as a senior partner.
Harris’ experience in the global automotive industry includes chief executive positions for BMW across several markets, including Asia, Australia, Continental Europe, Africa and the United States, as well as retail automotive positions with both Mercedes Benz and Porsche in the United Kingdom.
In his most recent role at as CEO for BMW Japan and Malaysia, Harris steered sales and brand development for all of the BMW Group brands, including BMW, MINI, and Motorrad, achieving record sales growth in these Asian markets. He also successfully led negotiations with the Malaysian government to position BMW as the first premium brand to locally assemble future plug-in hybrid models and export them to other countries within the ASEAN region.
“We are elated to have Alan join our rapidly growing team. Alan’s senior global automotive leadership experience fits hand-in-hand with our continued expansion into markets outside of North America and Europe,” said Jeff Van Dongen, founder and CEO of motormindz.
Harris joins a team of automotive notables at motormindz, including the likes of John Felice from Ford Motor Co., Don Johnson from General Motors Co., Ray Fisher from the Chrysler Group, and many more. In his role as senior partner, Harris will help lead the global assessment and implementation of solutions and technologies aimed to solve challenges across the automotive vertical.
“I am excited to join a team of professionals who share the same enthusiasm and vision I do in helping challenge the status quo for the betterment of our business,” said Harris. “Some of the projects in which we are engaged around logistics optimization and connected consumer are ground breaking and represent the future state of the industry.”
More Digital

Fixed-Ops Automation Can Help Dealerships Stand Out
Technology turns everyday service repairs into lasting customer loyalty and dealer profitability.
Read More →
AI and the Auto Dealer
These are risks you can’t ignore as the technology becomes more and more of a presence in the auto retail environment.
Read More →
Data Drives Success
Dealerships that make decisions based on data rather than gut instinct or experience have a leg up on their competitors, according to a recent survey.
Read More →
AI: Facilitator, Not Fixer, in F&I
The dealerships that thrive in the years ahead will be those that embrace technology while continuing to invest in the people who make customer interactions count.
Read More →
Simple But Effective Hacking Surges
Data from the past year at U.S. auto dealerships finds that email and identity phishing are growing threat sources that can dispense with malware by exploiting trust.
Read More →
The Future of Car Dealerships
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the service-drive experience and will help retailers stay competitive.
Read More →
Structure Leads to Optimized Auto Listings
As the average car-buying journey has shifted to a blend of digital and retail, a dealership’s vehicle listings must be optimized to answer shoppers’ questions clearly and accurately.
Read More →
Real Intelligence
AI, though it presents many opportunities for productivity, efficiency and more, isn’t a one-for-one stand-in for people. It can augment human capital but not replace it altogether.
Read More →
Zurich Launches Advisor IQ for F&I Manager Coaching
The new platform uses real transaction data and artificial intelligence-driven insights to help car dealerships improve consistency and performance.
Read More →
F&I in the Digital Age
Digital retailing has not made the F&I manager obsolete. If anything, it has revealed how valuable the role can become when technology is used correctly.
Read More →