British high-performance car manufacturer Aston Martin has hired Michael van der Sande as its new chief commercial officer. Van der Sande previously served as head of Harley-Davidson’s European operations before taking over as Tesla ’s senior vice president for marketing, a job he held for less than a year.
Van der Sande will work out of Aston Martin’s Gaydon, United Kingdom, office and, according to company CEO Ulrich Bez, van der Sande “will help us to further develop Aston Martin’s presence around the world.”
Aston Martin , like most high-end automakers, has been hit especially hard by the global recession. Sales are down to less than half of what they were a year ago.
