Mr. Joyce, who took over as president and chief executive officer of the Canadian unit of the auto maker on Jan. 1, has left Mercedes-Benz entirely to take a job with another company in Atlanta, where his family is based.LASZLO BALOGH/Reuters
Gareth Joyce, president of Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc., has resigned after less than three months on the job.
Mr. Joyce, who took over as president and chief executive officer of the Canadian unit of the auto maker on Jan. 1, has left Mercedes-Benz entirely to take a job with another company in Atlanta, where his family is based.
"It was 100-per-cent personal reasons," Mercedes-Benz Canada spokeswoman JoAnne Caza said Monday. "He was very committed," she said.
"Despite his short tenure at Mercedes-Benz Canada, Gareth Joyce's high level of energy, his casual and pragmatic approach and his passionate vision have made an optimistic impression on the company's employees and the Mercedes-Benz dealer network," the company said in a statement.
He becomes the second successive Mercedes-Benz Canada president to leave the company. Mr. Joyce's predecessor, Tim Reuss, who had been president and CEO of the auto company since March, 2011, was scheduled to take on those jobs at Mercedes-Benz Portugal on Jan. 1.
But Mr. Reuss also departed Mercedes-Benz and has remained in Canada, where industry sources said he has been seeking another job.
Mr. Joyce's appointment as president of Mercedes-Benz Canada was announced in September.
But four months after the announcement, Mercedes-Benz USA chief executive officer Stephen Cannon, to whom Mr. Joyce would have reported, resigned to work for the Atlanta Falcons football team.
The company has been moving from strength to strength in the Canadian market amid a general rise in luxury sales.
Sales of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, including its Smart line of cars, grew 10 per cent last year from 2014 levels – to 44,520 vehicles from 40,555 a year earlier. Since 2010, sales have soared 41 per cent. Mercedes-Benz Canada sold 31,651 vehicles in 2010.
The company, which operates 11 corporate dealerships and 46 owner-operated franchises, ranks first in sales among luxury auto makers in Canada.
Sales soared 29 per cent last month from year-earlier levels, hitting a record for the month.
Mr. Joyce, who is a native of South Africa, started his career as a senior technical manager with DaimlerChrysler South Africa in 2004. He moved to Mercedes-Benz, which is owned by Daimler AG in 2007 as vice-president of after-sales for Mercedes-Benz South Africa.
His last position before being announced as president of Mercedes-Benz Canada was vice-president of customer services for Mercedes-Benz USA, where he was responsible for the largest after-sales markets for Mercedes-Benz vehicles.