FORMER Ford executive Pat Ryan has joined Fusion Business Solutions’ technology subsidiary Op2ma, taking on the newly created role of business development manager – OEM solutions for a new research division.

According to Fusion Business Solutions managing director Marc Brien, the new Op2ma Research division will focus on providing its clients – particularly dealers, OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), financiers and insurers – with specialist automotive industry consumer research capability.

“The consumer research segment in the automotive industry does not have any company who can provide a ‘one-stop shop’. Some companies offer CSI solutions, some are just mystery shopping companies, and some global providers that just offer high-end market research solutions,” Mr Brien said. “So we have decided to become that one-stop shop and invest more resources in this area.”

Based in Melbourne, Mr Ryan brings to Fusion three decades’ experience with Ford in both Australia and New Zealand across a variety of areas including financial analysis, IT project management, fleet sales, retail marketing and dealer operations.

Most recently, Mr Ryan was sales planning and distribution manager for Ford Australia, a position he held for about four years. Prior to that he had a stint as business systems manager (marketing and sales) and dealer sales and service centre manager, while earlier in his career at Ford he served for five years as retail marketing manager and two years in Perth as dealer operations manager.

Fusion has also hired Esther Lukacs as a business analyst for Op2ma Research, working alongside Mr Ryan and with the support of software engineers from the company’s head office in Adelaide. Ms Lukacs joins the company after three years with the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

By Terry Martin