Hagerty Inc., an automotive enthusiast brand and specialty vehicle insurance provider, has named Gary Chard as its new senior vice president of marketplace operations. Chard will join the senior leadership team of Marketplace, Hagerty’s growing business to support members and enthusiasts who are buying and selling collector cars. He will oversee all aspects of Marketplace operations, including live and digital auctions, private sales, financing and classifieds.
“Gary is an industry pro who will help us take Marketplace to the next level as a trusted, easy to use platform for buying, selling and financing collector cars,” said Kenneth Ahn, president of Marketplace. “As one of the most trusted names in the collector car world, Hagerty has an incredible opportunity to capture an even bigger slice of the $4 billion auction market and an estimated $100+ billion global collector car transaction market, and we intend to do just that.”
Prior to joining Hagerty, Chard served as vice president of leasing operations & work retail for The Taubman Company and the executive leasing liaison with Simon Property Group. Additionally, Gary was the CEO and founder of a food and beverage recruiting and staffing company, which scaled to approximately 8,000 staff and 2,000 business users in the Detroit market.
Chard holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business & Sports Studies from Southampton Solent University. Additionally, he holds a Human Resources Leadership Academy Certification from the Corporate Leadership Council and has taken multiple Human Resources Studies courses at Cornell University.
Chard said, “I’m thrilled to join such a trusted and respected company with so much potential. There is a huge opportunity ahead of this team, and I’m excited for the chance to help Hagerty take full advantage of it while providing an amazing level of service for enthusiast buyers and sellers.”