Online review site CarExpert has restructure its editorial and content team, in a move CEO Damon Rielly says underscores the company's proposition as a “content-led marketplace for new cars”.
Filling the newly-created director of editorial content role is Matt Buchanan, a journalist with experience in leading content teams at major media and technology companies, including The Sydney Morning Herald and Microsoft.
He joins CarExpert in November.
Buchanan said its wonderful to be joining a business that not only values content, but also innovation.
“It has been very clear to me throughout the process that CarExpert is hungry for continued growth and is not afraid of looking outside the box to develop content that makes buying the right car quicker and easier," he said.
"I am thrilled to be joining such a terrific, multi-talented and ambitious team.”
Rielly said in creating the director of editorial content role, CarExpert set out to find a leader from outside the automotive industry.
"Someone who was a content expert in both editorial and video and had already been working at the forefront of AI. We are excited to say that we have found our ideal candidate," he said.
Marton Pettendy – formerly the managing editor at Carsales – has begun in the role of managing editor at CarExpert, bringing over 30 years of automotive journalism experience.
He said it’s great to be part of a business that believes in the power of content.
“Having joined from an equivalent position at Carsales, the two things I’ve noticed is the business’ appetite to go to the next level and the team’s enthusiasm to remain Australia’s biggest new car website," he said.
"I look forward to the challenge and am excited to join an already high-performing team," he said.
CarExpert co-founder, Alborz Fallah, said while others have been laying off editorial staff, his company is thrilled to bring in the two new hires, who will help mature systems and processes to continue growth.
“We’ve just had an absolute record September, blowing away all our previous traffic, engagement and audience records. We firmly believe these appointments will further elevate our results and set new benchmarks in the near future," he said.
Further to the new appointments, CarExpert has also promoted James Wong from within, who assumes the role of marketplace editor and is tasked with leading the business’ continued expansion into content that drives new car sales.
Alongside the personnel changes, CarExpert has also moved to independently host videos on its website, creating more video content for its millions of users as well as new opportunities for advertisers.
The changes come at a time when the company is also undertaking a $4m advertising investment in a multi-format media campaign that promotes the brand’s positioning as "Australia’s Biggest New Car Website" .
Rielly said everything the company is doing is designed to enhance its content and make it easier for consumers to identify and buy the right new car for them.
“We’ve always believed in content’s ability to inform, persuade and influence. We are confident that we’ll continue to see growth as both choice and competition in the new car sector explode," he said.
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