Mr Mee was previously corporate communications manager at Nissan Australia, a position he left late last year after two-and-a-half years at the company, and earlier had worked for some five years as senior public relations specialist for Mazda Australia.

Before moving into corporate comms with auto OEMs, Mr Mee worked for specialty PR agency BAM Media where he was heavily involved with a variety of local motor racing teams and their sponsors.

He began his career in motorsport event management, first at IMG and later at the Australian Grand Prix Corporation.

He also had a stint at Carlton and United Breweries, working in its sponsorship department and managing its VB sponsorship of V8 Supercars and Australian cricket.

DBC2 founder and managing director Dale Brittain said: “I knew Tony was destined for big things as soon as I sat next to him at V8 Supercar media centres almost 20 years ago.

“In fact, 16 years ago he turned down a job offer from me, which proved to be the right decision for him.

“Since then, Tony’s career has gone from strength to strength and I cannot express just how excited we are to have him join the DBC2 team.”

Mr Brittain also said that while many businesses were struggling as a result of the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the used-vehicle market and automotive aftermarket have fared relatively well.

“Helped by it being classified as providing an essential service, the automotive aftermarket has continued relatively strongly,” he said.

“Like everyone, we saw a downturn in business when the pandemic hit, but we are seeing our clients returning to their pre-pandemic investments.

“Yes, we have worked hard with some clients to readjust their marketing efforts, but I am very proud to say that we have not lost a single client through the pandemic period so far, which is why we are in the enviable position to employ more staff,” he said.

In other automotive PR news, former Mitsubishi Motors Australia media communications specialist Jessica Eastick has joined Toyota Australia as a dealer engagement specialist.

Tony Mee

By Terry Martin