NGK Spark Plugs (U.S.A.) has announced the addition of Brian Lesiewicz as general manager of traditional sales and the realignment of Beth Skove to general manager of marketing.
Lesiewicz joins NGK Spark Plugs from Brembo North America, where he held the position of aftermarket business unit manager, responsible for the U.S., Canada and Mexico. There, he focused on improving the end-user experience by making the products easier to purchase, expanding the product range, implementing catalog improvements and introducing marketing campaigns.
From 2008 to 2016, Lesiewicz held positions with Exide Batteries as district sales manager, regional sales director and retail sales director. Prior to Exide, Lesiewicz spent three years with Automotive Distributors Warehouse (ADW) in Ohio with its GM Accessories division.
Lesiewicz took an early interest in the automotive aftermarket and racing from attending weekly races at Berlin Raceway with his father. This eventually led him to Northwood University, where he received an Automotive Aftermarket Management degree. Lesiewicz also is the current vice chair of AASA’s Modern Industry eXpertise (MiX) Council.
Beth Skove joined NGK Spark Plugs in 2018 as general manager of sales, where she was responsible for leading and restructuring the company’s traditional sales organization. Prior to joining NGK, Skove held the position of director of marketing for Valeo, where she managed all marketing-related efforts designed to grow recognition of the brand in the aftermarket. These efforts included brand management, market research, product launches, promotions, events and advertising.
Previously, Skove held the position of director of global marketing for ITW Evercoat. There, she launched products to two new markets – China and Brazil – and expanded the brand in other key markets including South Africa, West Europe, England and Japan.
Prior to entering the automotive aftermarket, Skove was the vice president of Ken-Tool, an automotive hand-tool manufacturer in Ohio. At Ken-Tool, she was responsible for profitable growth efforts and all marketing related functions.
Skove is an active member of various industry associations, including Women in Auto Care, the Automotive Sales Council and the ACA Research Committee. She graduated from Hiram College with a bachelor’s degree in English and completed graduate courses in marketing and English at Kent State University.
“These changes within the NGK Aftermarket leadership team position NGK Spark Plugs for continued expansion into the automotive aftermarket,” said Brian Norko, vice president, Aftermarket at NGK. “Beth’s extensive experience in marketing, and Brian’s sales leadership skills will allow the NGK, NTK and WVE brands to focus on continued growth and sales success.”
