EVDIRECT, the exclusive distributor for BYD Automotive EV cars in Australia, has appointed former Holden marketing chief Mark Harland as chief operating officer.

BYD now sells in Australia through a national retail partnership with Eagers Automotive in addition to BYD Automotive’s 12 BYD Experience and Delivery Centres across the country.

In addition to this, BYD has opened 40 service centres in partnership with Eagers Automotive and Mycar.

Mr Harland’s Melbourne-based role will include facilitating the opening of the upcoming Experience and Delivery Centres, as well as operational oversight of the BYD/EVDirect supply chain, retail and service networks.

He said he was “very excited to be back in the sustainable transportation space at an important time”.

Mr Harland was previously COO for global video tech company Atomos based in Melbourne.  Before this position, he was with AGL Energy and co-founded the company’s EV subscription service, which won a Canstar award.

Prior to working with AGL, Mr Harland had a 15-plus year career with General Motors that took him around the world, including regional director of marketing and customer experience in Singapore and Shanghai responsible for Asia, India, Africa, Middle East and Australia.

As chief marketing officer for Holden from January 2017 to June 2018, he helped navigate the company as it transitioned from local manufacturing to a full-line importer.

He has an MBA in marketing and finance from the New York Institute of Technology and a BA in economics and French at St Lawrence University.

Mr Harland grew up in Montreal, Canada where his father and grandfather were both General Motors dealers for many years.

By Neil Dowling