Carsales appointment of Vanya Mariana and Davor Vilusic as commercial director – media (sales and customer solutions) and commercial director – media (strategy, trading & ad pperations), respectively means joint leadership is set to be key for the division’s five-year strategy.
Mariana and Vilusic first met in war-torn Croatia at only seven years old and migrated to Australia within two years of each other, developing a strong connection, friendship and understanding of one another.
The pair are committed to a unique joint leadership structure that plans to deliver innovative and effective solutions across all customer channels, ushering in the next phase of Carsale’s digital media evolution.
“Carsales is fast moving and leading edge and in that positive environment you are constantly invited to redefine yourself,” Mariana said
“Davor and I looked at what it would mean for our business if we had one commercial director vs two and there was only upside.
“We knew we could do this together, and that the entire division, as well as our customers, would benefit from the structure. It’s not overly complicated but for some it’s unconventional.”
Mariana and Vilusic plan to utilise their unique skills to deliver meaningful results and provide a well-rounded leadership approach for the Carsales media division.
“While our focus areas are diverse, they’re interlinked and interdependent at the same time – ad sales is nothing without strategy and strategy is nothing without execution. Combining those as a single stream but each with deep subject matter expertise is what we’re focusing on delivering to our customers,” said Vilusic.
The pair say they are committed to shaking up the leadership dynamic and being open to new ways of working.
Vilusic said: “Tossing out the rule book at carsales and focusing on our people’s and business’ strengths has already been positive.
“We are starting to see the benefits through both commercial results and our team.
“It is also exposing people to new possibilities. If we can do this differently and succeed, what else can we tackle?”