Cook swapping cars for tractors
Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand (MMNZ) has announced the resignation of Daniel Cook, its chief operating officer, after more than 20 years with the Porirua-based business.
He is leaving to take up a role with New Zealand company Power Farming and will lead its American tractor distribution operation in Atlanta, Georgia.
Cook, pictured, joined MMNZ in 2001 and his positions have included marketing communications manager, head of sales and marketing strategy, and general manager of vehicle sales and marketing.
He was appointed chief operating officer in April 2018 and his legacy includes Mitsubishi selling 23,899 vehicles last year to become New Zealand’s top-selling passenger vehicle brand in 2022.
“In 2008, we sold 3,420 vehicles,” adds Cook. “At the end of that year, we knew something had to change both for the survival of our business and our dealers.
“We put in place a long-term plan that focused on people – our customers, our staff and helping our dealers build strong, resilient businesses.
“It had to be a team effort and I commend our dealer network and staff for their passion and hard work, and for chasing down some of the pretty audacious targets we set for them.”
Cook notes MMNZ has achieved a number of milestones in the past decade and says some that he’s most proud of are concentrated on customer relationships.
He says awards recognising customer service validated what the company set out to achieve in 2009 and “the sales records began to fall”.
“It’s been a crazy and hugely satisfying few years, seeing our long-term plan come to fruition. There are now 78,948 Mitsubishi vehicles younger than four years old in New Zealand. That provides an almost guaranteed pipeline of aftersales work for our dealers in the medium-term.”
In his new role as president of Power Farming America, Cook will seek to grow the sales of German-built Deutz Fahr Tractors in a market that buys more than 330,000 units annually.
“I leave MMNZ with mixed emotions,” explains Cook. “I’ll be sad to leave behind an amazing family but feel hugely gratified with what we’ve achieved together and I’m very excited about the challenges of a new role, in a new country, selling a very different product.”
Warren Brown, MMNZ’s chief executive officer, says Cook has made an immense contribution to the company and the marque during his “successful tenure”.
“His expertise, infectious personality, and passion for the Mitsubishi Motors brand have left an indelible mark on all of us,” adds Brown.
“It has been a pleasure to serve alongside him and transform our small business into the best Mitsubishi Motors company anywhere in the world.”
