Our World Class Team
The GCB AutoX Board
A leading team of automotive and M&A professionals
GCB AutoX Board & Advisors currently or previously held senior management positions with:
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Luis M. Briola
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Global Director of Legal and Regulatory Compliance
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Secretary of the Board of Directors
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Jerónimo Ocejo Torres​
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​Head of Legal & General Counsel and GVP of Compliance at Kavak - #1 online reseller of cars in Mexico.​
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Lev Peker​
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Currently CEO of PARTSiD
- ​Past CEO and Director of CarLotz and CEO & Director of CarParts.com.
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Manuel Gomez Palacio Pin
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​Past CEO of ITALIKA - #1 Seller of Motorcycles in Mexico
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Edmond Cheng
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Past CFO of Hong Kong-listed, TCL Electronics (#3 TV Manufacture in the world)
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Kevin Freeland
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​Past COO of NYSE Listed Advance Auto Parts
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Anne Devine
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Supply Chain Director at Motive Energy.
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Previously the CEO of Janus Electric & COO of Romeo Power
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Oscar Zaldivar
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Previously CFO of Lexmark Mexico
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Adolfo Gandarillas Rivera
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Previously LATAM Finance Director at Cooper Tire MX(Now Goodyear)
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Other Notable companies include Ford, Scotiabank, Bank of Montreal, Stellantis (Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Peugeot), PSA International Pte, ExxonMobil
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Government Experience: Minister-Level Positions
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Ernesto Sanchez Proal
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Secretary of Economy for the Government of Jalisco State
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Automotive & Electrical Grid Leadership:
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More than 140 Years of Automotive Experience across manufacturing, wholesale, retail, and ecommerce
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Leading roles at Kavak, Stellantis (Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Peugeot), Cooper Tire MX(Now Goodyear), Advance Auto Parts, Cenntro Electric Group, ITALIKA, Mercedes-Benz, Midas International.​​
Chairman
Lev
Peker
Lev Peker is currently CEO of PARTSiD and brings an exceptional blend of senior executive leadership experience and proven industry capabilities in online retail to his role as CEO and Member of the Board of Directors of CarLotz. Mr. Peker previously served as CEO and Director of CarParts.com, a leading e-commerce provider of automotive parts and accessories, from January 2019 to April 2022.
Lev holds a BA in Accounting from the University of Southern California, an MBA in Marketing and Strategy from the UCLA, and is a CPA for the State of California.
Director
Luis Miguel Briola Clément
Luis M. Briola is the Global Director of Legal and Regulatory Compliance, as well as Secretary of the Board of Directors of Grupo Bimbo, SAB de CV (“Grupo Bimbo”).
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Mr. Briola received a Law Degree from the Escuela Libre de Derecho in Mexico City, has a Diploma in Finance from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, and an LL.M. from Columbia University in New York.
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Director
Anne Devine
Anne is currently the Supply Chain Director at Motive Energy.
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Previously the CEO of Janus Electric and COO of Romeo Power where she led the advanced electrification solutions company specializing in high-energy, modular battery systems for commercial vehicle applications. $500M+ in backlog and 500 employees in US-based location.
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Anne has a BS, Industrial Engineering from Kettering University and a MS Engineering/ Industrial Management from the University of Michigan.
Director
Manuel Gomez Palacio Pin
Manuel is currently CEO of NISSAN & INFINITI division at Grupo KASA a conglomerate with 20 brands and 47 points of sale.
Previously Manuel was CEO of ITALIKA (#1 Manufacturer and seller of Motorcycles in Mexico and LATAM), responsible for sales of over 1.2 billion USD. He has also held commercial roles at Mercedes-Benz.
Manuel holds a Masters in Economy & Business from the Universidad Anáhuac and a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from the Universidad Iberoamericana.
Director
Diego
Payan
Mr. Diego Payan is a seasoned automotive professional with a wealth of experience in the industry, Diego has held key technical and managerial positions at renowned companies such as Chrysler Mexico, FCA Mexico, and Stellantis.
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Diego's impressive career includes notable achievements and contributions to various organizations. At FCA Mexico, he served as a Regional Sales Manager for FCA Brands, overseeing 13 dealerships and achieving the top-ranking position between regions in 2021, were instrumental in driving sales growth and enhancing the brand's market presence.
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During his tenure at Stellantis Mexico, specifically with the Peugeot Brand, Diego held the position of Regional Sales Manager. He successfully implemented strategies to increase digital leads and conversion rates, effectively leveraging modern marketing techniques to drive customer engagement and revenue growth
Advisor
Will
Garner
Will Garner is an Advisor to Vulpes Investment Management in Singapore. A Strategic partner of Latitude World serving as a US immigration lawyer; based in Jersey,
Advisor to Greenwing Ventures, Canadian merchant bank focused on disruptive companies in the agriculture, energy and mobility space.
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University of Georgia - Bachelor of Finance from the University of Georgia Magna Cum Laude.
Juris Doctorate degree from the William S. Boyd School of Law, the UNLV. University of Florida, MBA (Cum Laude)
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Will is a member of the Florida Bar.
Director
Paul Farrugia
Paul is a corporate development professional having advised clients in the Americas (Canada, US, and Mexico) and Asia Pacific (Mainland China & Hong Kong, China, New Zealand, Singapore)
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Paul was previously a licensed portfolio manager reported directly to a 2X Canadian Portfolio Manager of the Year and was an analyst for #2 ranked hedge fund manager. Paul was advisor at the incubator Toronto Business Development Centre and has held positions at Bank of Montreal and Scotiabank.
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Paul holds a Bachelor of Commerce. Specialist in Finance from the University of Toronto.
Director
Ernesto Sanchez Proal
Ernesto is the founder and CEO of Seeräuber Automotive (automotive manufacturing) and of ENERI, a smart metering company.
Ernesto held the position of Minister of Economic Development and Secretary of Economy for the Jalisco State Government.
Ernesto holds a Master of Science in Administration, International Administration from Central Michigan University and an Electronics Engineer, Engineering from ITESO Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara.
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Ernesto was a member of the consultative board (western region) of Banco de Mexico for 8 years, member of the editorial board of the Mural Newspaper in Jalisco (Reforma Group) for 4 years, and wrote a biweekly Op Ed column for Mural for 9 years. Currently he is the VicePresident of the American Chamber, Guadalajara Chapter.
Director
Adolfo Gandarillas Rivera
Adolfo is the Country Manager & CFO of RadiciGroup Performance Plastics.
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Adolfo was previously LATAM Finance Director at Cooper Tire & Rubber, controller at Marconi - Mexico (Ericsson), Finance Director, and Finance Director Relacom.
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Adolfo hold an MBA from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México and a BBA FROM Universidad Intercontinental.
Advisor
Javier
Huerta
Javier Huerta - Finance Director Grupo HUERPEL (70+ years operating history and owner of 8 Nissan Dealerships) and is Managing Director of fintech Custom Financial Services.
Javier holds an MBA from Tecnológico de Monterrey, a Bachelor's in Accountinig & FInance from Universidad de Las Américas Puebla.
Director
Edmond Cheng
Edmond is currently the CFO of Cenntro Electric Group Ltd., a NASDAQ listed company, with over 25 years of global leadership experience across the U.S., Asia, and EMEA. Before joining Cenntro, he was the CFO of Mithera Capital.
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As CFO of TCL Multimedia, a publicly listed Hong Kong company with close to HK$40 billion in revenue, he was instrumental in turning around the company from a loss of HK$973M to a net profit of HK$922M within two years, improving the debt to equity from 182% to 63%, expanding market cap from HK$2.0B to HK$9.5B, and creating HK$7.5 billion in shareholder value. He had also served as the CFO of other public listed companies including UTStarcom (U.S.), and Zoomlion (China/Hong Kong), as well as private equity-owned portfolio companies from Temasek Holdings, Hony Capital/Goldman Sachs, and Blackstone Group.
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Edmond received his EMBA from Columbia University, London School of Business, and Hong Kong University. He earned a Master of Accounting and Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He has been a member of AICPA since 1987.
Director
Jerónimo Ocejo Torres
Jerónimo stands as a driving force within Kavak (the Largest Mexico Unicorn) and Kuna, initially as the Head of Legal & General Counsel and presently as the Global Vice President of Compliance.
As a linchpin in the success of Mexico's premier online car reseller and the country's largest unicorn, he has steered the companies by formulating dynamic global legal strategies, orchestrating their expansion into ten countries. Currently, Jerónimo is at the forefront of implementing robust compliance measures worldwide.
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Jerónimo holds a law degree from Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education.
Director
Oscar Zaldivar
Oscar is CFO of United Auto, with dealerships for the brands Toyota, Hyundai, Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and a presence across Mexico in Nuevo Leon, Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, Coahuila, and Mexico City.
Oscar was previously the CFO of Lexmark Mexico and previously held roles with ExxonMobil.
Oscar holds a Postgraduate Degree, in Business Administration and Management, a Masters of Finance from Tecnológico de Monterrey, and a BBA from Tecnológico de Monterrey.
Advisor
Kevin
Freeland
Kevin is a leading executive and CEO of Velburton in Auto Parts Manufacturing, Distribution, and Installation.
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Kevin was Vice President/Consultant for First Brands Group. Kevin was Co-CEO and President of Federal Mogul, one of the largest manufacturers of automotive aftermarket parts. He was COO for NYSE-listed Advance Auto Parts.
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Kevin holds a BA from the University of Florida.
