Autochek, the automotive technology company making car ownership more accessible and affordable across Africa, has appointed US automotive industry leader and veteran, Robert Granados to its board of directors to help further support its ongoing growth and expansion.
What does Robert bring to Autochek in the role?
Robert has over two decades of experience in leading and growing technology companies focused on providing solutions for the automotive industry value chain. He is currently CEO of CloudOne, a marketing company that helps auto dealers find and engage customers.
He was Senior Vice President and General Manager at DealerTrack Technologies, where he led various units, including the finance and lender networks, inventory management and transportation, customer relationship management (CRM), and independent dealer websites.
Post the acquisition of DealerTrack Technologies by Cox Automotive Inc., the global leader in providing automotive solutions, Robert Granados served as Senior Vice President, Strategy, at Cox Automotive, where he performed assessments of new growth opportunities, expansion of current business offerings, and effectiveness of current products and services.
He also served as Operating Partner at SNH Capital Partners, where he was Chief Executive Officer of the Automotive Portfolio which comprised of National Credit Center, the provider of comprehensive data, software and marketing solutions to US dealerships and ProMax, the leading software provider to retail automotive dealers, offering award winning customer relationship management (CRM), desking, website, credit, and lead generation solutions.
He was also CEO of MAX Digital, an automotive inventory management and merchandising platform, supporting the company through a successful exit in 2021. He will bring this vast experience to Autochek, supporting integration of the Pan-African automotive industry to drive value for consumers, manufacturers, financial institutions and other stakeholders.
What does the appointment mean for Autochek?
Autochek provides best in class technology and advisory solutions across the board to car dealers, financial institutions and other stakeholders in Africa’s burgeoning automotive ecosystem, supporting them to improve credit decisioning, collections, pricing, portfolio management and product development, as well as deliver an enhanced customer experience.
Commenting on the role, Robert Granados said, “There is a great opportunity to transform lives and livelihoods across Africa by making car ownership more accessible and affordable, and I am thrilled to support Etop and the team to make this happen. Autochek has achieved so much success in a short period of time and I believe there is so much more to come.”
Etop Ikpe, CEO of The Autochek Group, said, “We are excited to have someone of Robert’s calibre on our board with his vast experience from the most advanced automotive markets. He has played a major role in building many successful automotive tech companies and we look forward to leveraging his experience to support our continued growth as a company.”
Since launching in 2020, the organization has driven the penetration of auto-financing across the continent, ultimately enabling more consumers and businesses across North, West, East and South Africa to access financing solutions to purchase their desired vehicles.
In less than two years of operations, Autochek has worked with over 70 financial institutions and over 2,000 dealerships to process more than 80,000 car loan applications. Leveraging the vast reach of its online marketplace, the company originates auto loans powered by data analytics that makes it easier for financial institutions to offer credit to consumers.
