Shepherd will work closely with Advantage's global executive leadership team to help guide its long-term strategic business plan to remain a dominant brand in the OEM parts supply chain as it continues to deliver unrivalled value to the marketplace.
"For over 30-years, Dave has been regarded as one of Europe's most brilliant automotive minds, and it's an honour to have his expertise on the team. His career insights will become extraordinarily valuable to the team as we continue to optimize the OEM parts supply chain," stated Advantage Parts Solutions' co-founder and CEO Bob Kirstiuk. "Dave's unique background and industry leadership will allow the Advantage team to continue our pursuit of delivering unparalleled and distinguishable value to the market. In addition, as Dave comes onboard, Advantage will look to create a new industry standard of integrating the first-notice-of-loss (FNOL) and vehicle dispatching process with the OEM parts supply chain."
Shepherd, a seasoned industry executive, joins Advantage's global team after spending 13 years as regional managing director of Solera's international region, where he was directly responsible for accelerating the company's reorganisation outside North America. Before Solera, Shepherd was an executive consultant for various collision repair brands, Thatcham Research, and the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), where he's credited with significant contribution and implementation of the Automotive Technician Accreditation (ATA) program across the UK.
"Advantage is uniquely positioned to deliver value to the global automotive sector in a way the industry has never seen before. Advantage will drive value and efficiencies propelling the industry forward by a significant measure," stated Shepherd. "Advantage's proprietary software platform delivers value by reducing key-to-key cycle time, reduce claim expense, and increase vehicle owner satisfaction; by deploying a more sophisticated solution. It's an honour to be working with Advantage in this unique capacity and help shape the future of the organization's collaboration with the industry, bringing it closer together for the ultimate benefit of the insurer, repairer, and vehicle owner."