Automotive Compliance Education (ACE) has named Tariq Kamal vice president of operations in a newly created role that puts him in charge of the training and certification provider’s business, sales and marketing strategies.

Executive Director Gil Van Over III said the hire is the first step toward a tactical but wide-ranging expansion of curricula, services and clientele for ACE, which was founded in 2016 with the goal of making compliance accessible and affordable for dealership professionals inside and outside the F&I office.

“We created this position specifically for Tariq, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him onboard,” Van Over said. “He has the expertise, insight and spirit of innovation we need to take ACE to the next level.”

Kamal’s automotive industry career began when he joined Bobit Business Media in 2006. Over the following 14 years, he would serve in a number of full-time and consulting roles that ran the gamut from editorial and graphics to sales, marketing and event programming. Starting in 2020, he served as director of marketing and advertising for Portfolio, a leading provider of reinsurance and F&I programs and products.

“I was honored to be among the first to earn ACE certification in 2016 and humbled by the invitation to join Gil and his team in a leadership role,” Kamal said. “We have a rock-solid foundation in place and limitless opportunities to build upon it.”