Ian MacDonald named Boats Group vice president of sales

Boats Group announced the appointment of Ian MacDonald as the company’s vice president of sales in North America. Prior to joining Boats Group, MacDonald served as vice president of sales at Autotrader.com.

MacDonald’s new role at Boats Group will focus on growing new business and expanding existing industry partner relationships through value-based sales.

MacDonald is a veteran in the digital classified space with 33 years of experience in the automotive industry, both domestically and internationally. Having spent the last 14 years of his career with AutoTrader.com, MacDonald was on the leadership team that grew the business from $50 million to $1.2 billion in revenue. He also oversaw the closure of Auto Trader Publishing, shifting over $40 million in revenue from print to digital media in 2008.

“The experience that Ian brings to the Boats Group team in the digital sales space is invaluable and we are delighted that he has decided to join us,” said Sam Fulton, CEO, Boats Group. “As Boats Group works to leverage technology to deliver leading value to our industry partners, we will also continue to focus our efforts on delivering a modern sales experience to prospects and current customers. Ian will be a tremendous asset in expanding the reach of this mission and accentuating the already strong sales and account management teams that we have in place today.”

“After a long career in the automotive sector, leading sales teams and partnering with customers as the industry evolved from traditional media and practices to the digital age, I am excited to join the Boats Group as we strengthen our position as leaders in the marine industry. I look forward working closely with the Boats Group team and our industry partners to offer ever-evolving and improving solutions and service to help them grow their businesses,” said McDonald.

This announcement is the most recent of a series

of key hiring updates from Boats Group following their acquisition by Funds advised by Apax Partners, including the appointment of Sam Fulton as Boats Group’s new CEO and the appointment of Sam Peterson as the company’s CTO.

For more information about Boats Group, visit www.boatsgroup.com.