The successor of Mercedes-Benz USA and NAFTA President and CEO Stephen Cannon was officially announced by the company. Dietmar Exler takes over the duties of the outgoing executive starting January 1, 2016.

Ola Kaellenius, member of the board of management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing & Sales made the official announcement.

“Dietmar’s appointment is central to reinforcing our strategy and our standards around the world, and will continue to strengthen the ties and collaboration within our marketing & sales network,” Kaellenius said. Then he thanked Cannon for his leadership and contributions to the company, and he wished him all the best in his future endeavors.

Currently, MBUSA holds more than 1,500 employees, add to that the 1,240 employees it has in Mexico and Canada. The company has 373 dealerships in its territory. Exler will assume responsibility of all their operations including the Mercedes passenger cars and smart brand.

The incoming MBUSA boss is presently the vice president for sales of the company. He got his current position in January 2014. However, he already possesses around two decades of leadership experience. He joined the then DaimlerChrysler Financial group in 2002 as a senior manager of program development but was immediately promoted as vice president during his first year of stay. In 2010, he became the vice president of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA.

Cannon will remain with Mercedes-Benz USA until January 31, 2016. He will function as a consultant of the company up to that period.