Star performer: Adam Keller was previously playing a major part in the rollout of GM’s OnStar service across Asia-Pacific, but has now moved to Marque Group to lead the technical direction of Vital Software.

FORMER Australian-based General Motors IT executive Adam Keller has joined automotive technology company Marque Group to lead the technical direction of its Vital Software business.

Mr Keller was previously regional IT portfolio manager (connected customer experience) based at Holden headquarters in Port Melbourne, responsible for all IT portfolio planning and project SME support for the deployment of GM’s connected OnStar service throughout Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.

As GoAuto reported exclusively late last year, Holden and GM decided to postpone the planned rollout of OnStar in this region to cut costs in line with GM’s latest round of belt-tightening, pushing the launch back from 2019 to at least 2021.

As a result, key members of the unit – which was set up to manage the service in Australia, New Zealand and the broader region under OnStar GM International Operations – were expected to leave the company.

Mr Keller worked for Holden/GM for more than eight years and had been in the OnStar role since about April last year.

Prior to that he served for four-and-a-half years as a senior IT business analyst in GM’s customer care and aftersales operations division, which also covered the Asia-Pacific region, while earlier he spent some three-and-a-half years as an IT applications operations analyst for GM Holden, responsible for the IT systems and services that supported the car-maker’s sales, marketing and aftersales activities.

Mr Keller also worked for Holden as a program administrator for about a year, among stints with other companies such as Coles (IT project co-ordinator) and Foxtel (senior technical support consultant) and time spent as a lecturer in IT for Victoria University.

At Marque Group, Mr Keller will lead Vital Software’s technical teams at its Melbourne operations.

Based in both Australia and the UK, Vital Software supplies the automotive industry across CRM, lead distribution, CSI management, service and parts performance reporting.

The company said Mr Keller would support its growing suite of products and solutions to the automotive sales and aftersales sectors in Australia, working with Marque Group’s leadership team “to analyse and develop fresh ideas through innovation, growing the business and its offerings to the local automotive industry”.

It added that Mr Keller will assist in “advancing the change agenda of the organisation, leading collaboration across the wider business to quickly reach effective resolutions for end customers”, while more specifically he will “focus on better serving and pre-empting customers’ needs through both the maintenance and future development of Vital Software’s solutions”.

Mr Keller said he was “excited to take a lead role in a company like Vital Software that has such strong potential in the wider auto sector to benefit OEMs and dealers across Australia and New Zealand”.

“I look forward to utilising the breadth of my regional experience working at the manufacturer level to collectively expand the operations and innovation strategies of both Vital Software and Marque Group Australia,” he said.

As well as Vital Software, the Marque Group stable includes Aura Corporation, AutoPlay, Smart Loyalty and Three60 CRM.

At the end of November last year, GM announced it would axe around 15,000 jobs worldwide – or 15 per cent of its global salaried workforce – and Holden said at the time that its Australian-based workforce would not be impacted.

GoAuto was subsequently informed about the OnStar postponement, which Holden later admitted was “consistent with GM’s global focus on reducing cost and operating more efficiently”.

By Terry Martin