HPI hires ousted Mitsubishi chief
Colin Peirce, former marketing director of Mitsubishi Motors, has found a new job 14 months after being ousted in a boardroom shake-up at the car company.
Peirce has been appointed by data analysis service Equifax as sales and marketing director for its vehicle information division HPI.
He will be in charge of building HPI’s brand, in line with the company’s aim to become the “watchword” for the used car retail market.
Peirce says: “The potential for HPI to help dealers and manufacturers develop their business is huge.”
Both Peirce and Mitsubishi sales director Andrew Wenzel were axed by trouble-shooter Denis Murphy, who was brought in as acting managing director from Denver Motors last summer (MW May 7 1999), after the car company failed to meet sales targets. Peirce had worked at Mitsubishi’s car concession, Colt Cars, for 18 years.
Mitsubishi hired former Daihatsu managing director Paul Williams to replace both Peirce and Wenzel as sales and marketing director.
Peirce’s departure sparked a review of Mitsubishi’s &£13m advertising business out of RPM3. The company appointed Roose & Partners to adapt European work done by Japanese agency Asatsu. The marketing budget was then slashed to &£8m.
