ALBANY, N.Y. — Auto/Mate Dealership Systems has promoted Dave Druzynski to chief people officer (CPO). He previously served as director of human resources and is a regular contributor to F&I and Showroom magazine.

“As the CPO, Dave is responsible not only for Auto/Mate people, but also its culture,” said Auto/Mate President and CEO Mike Esposito. “In other words, its values, ethics, mission, and how we create a working environment in which each of our employees can thrive.”

Druzynski joined Auto/Mate more than eight years ago as director of human resources and a member of the firm’s senior management team. He oversees talent management, employee management, leadership development and legal compliance. Druzynski is a senior professional in human resources and has been certified by the Society of Human Resource Management.

According to officials, the newly promoted executive officer’s passion for company culture has led to six “Top Workplace” distinctions in New York’s capital region and eight “Best Places to Work” honors. Druzynski currently serves on the board of trustees for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Northeast New York and is an accomplished Ironman triathlete. He has also been a featured speaker at the National Auto Dealers Association (NADA)’s annual convention and expo and numerous state auto association shows.

“Employee engagement is my passion, and my top priority is to ensure that Auto/Mate’s employees love coming to work every day, so they can live up to our mission of offering the best DMS software and the best DMS support,” Druzynski said. “At Auto/Mate, we truly believe that customers will never love a company until its employees love it first.”