Montvale, N.J. - Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) appointed Dietmar Exler vice president, sales, effective January 1, 2014. In this role, Exler will have overall responsibility for the company's sales, volume planning and distribution operations in the United States, reporting directly to Steve Cannon, president and CEO, MBUSA. Exler succeeds Michael Slagter, senior vice president, sales, who will retire at the end of February after 11 years of service with MBUSA and nearly four decades in the automotive industry.

"Mike's strategic expertise, strong leadership and vast experience have been instrumental in driving MBUSA to the strongest growth in its history," said Cannon. "We've reached a bittersweet changing of the guard as we bid him farewell and welcome Dietmar to the MBUSA family. As we enter this new chapter, we're confident Dietmar's broad expertise and business acumen will make him a strong asset to the company moving forward."

Exler's career spans nearly two decades with international business experience in various leadership roles. He began at McKinsey & Co in 1997 as part of the financial interest group in their Germany office and later in their Midwest office (Detroit, Mich.,). Five years later, Exler joined Chrysler Financial as senior manager of program development and was promoted to vice president of marketing the same year. In 2004, he became vice president of customer services for (then) DaimlerChrysler Financial Services in Farmington Hills, Mich., before transferring to Germany in 2005, where he served as chief operating officer of Daimler Financial Services Europe and member of the board at Mercedes-Benz Bank. Exler returned to the U.S. in 2010 after being appointed vice president for Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA.

Originally from Austria, Exler studied at Johannes Kepler University in Linz, where he received his doctorate in law. He also holds a master of laws from the University of Chicago. Exler has been a member of the New York State Bar Association since 1997.