Hyundai has broken with tradition by naming a non-Korean as Chief Executive Officer of its Australian operation for the first time.

Don Romano, a Californian, has been announced as the new President and Chief Executive Officer of Hyundai Motor Company Australia (HMCA) and Advisor for Hyundai Motor Asia & Pacific Region, effective immediately.

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The former cargo pilot comes from 10 years as President and CEO of Hyundai Auto Canada (HAC), where he oversaw a period of record growth, and crowns a 40 year-career in the automotive industry. He will oversee both the Hyundai and Genesis brands in this territory.

Mr. Romano will replace current HMCA CEO Ted Lee, who after a successful three-year tenure will remain in Australia in an Executive Support role as HMCA CEC (Chief Executive Coordinator).

Under Mr Romano’s stewardship of the Canadian operation, Hyundai became the country’s second-largest import brand and fourth-largest automotive brand overall, with a network of 226 Hyundai Dealers and 31 Genesis distributors nationwide.

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He also piloted the company to become Canada’s largest mainstream seller of electric vehicles, as well as setting an all-time annual sales record in 2024 of 138,755. He achieved market share growth for Hyundai in Canada from 7.3 percent to 8.2 per cent.

Among his responsibilities, Mr Romano will focus on developing a fair and inclusive corporate culture and strong employee engagement. He has won many awards, including North American Champion for Diversity and Automotive All Star for Process Architecture, and last year was honoured with Canada Black Book’s Industry Icon Award as well as a Women’s Executive Network Alliance Ally of Excellence Award.

“It is an honour to join Hyundai and Genesis in Australia and the broader Asia Pacific region,” said Mr. Romano.

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“With 74 competitor brands – expected to rise to 80 within the next 12 months – Australia is one of the most challenging automotive markets on earth. I look forward to working with the HMCA team to promote our world-beating products and to exceed customer expectations at every touchpoint.”

Mr Romano arrives shortly after Hyundai’s innovative electric performance hatch, the IONIQ 5 N, won Wheel’s Car of the Year for 2024-25 – the world’s longest running annual car award.

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