ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a leading national damaged vehicle repair company, has announced that Ann Fandozzi has been appointed CEO and that Duane Rouse has assumed the role of vice chairman of the board of directors. Both appointments are effective immediately. ABRA Auto Body & Glass first announced its succession plan and chief executive search on May 2.
Fandozzi joins ABRA from Ride Group Inc., where she served as CEO. Fandozzi helped develop Ride.com, a car-sharing platform, after being hired by TPG Growth to lead vRide, a legacy vanpool company. Under her leadership the company entered a period of unprecedented growth in both revenue and market share.
“After an extensive search, we are confident that we have found the right leader for ABRA in Ann,” said Rouse. “Ann’s experience, talent and energy have allowed her to build a very impressive track record as an executive. We are thrilled to welcome her to ABRA and look forward to her leadership as we enter into our next chapter of growth.”
“I am eager to hit the ground running with the team at ABRA,” said Fandozzi. “Duane and his team have built an industry leader and I am excited to help build on ABRA’s legacy. With the support of this experienced management team, we will continue ABRA’s progress in expanding to new markets, deepening our relationships with leading automotive insurers and providing the highest-quality service to consumers.”
Erik Ragatz, chairperson of the board of ABRA, and managing director of private equity firm Hellman & Friedman, ABRA’s majority shareholder, said, “We are thankful to Duane for his strong leadership during his five years as CEO — the culmination of his 20-year tenure at ABRA — and for the results that he delivered during that period. Through a combination of internal initiatives and strategic acquisitions, Duane built ABRA into a highly respected, exceptionally well-run company. We are very pleased to have Duane’s continued partnership on the board and look forward to working with Ann to continue to grow the business.”
Prior to becoming CEO of Ride Group, Fandozzi held executive positions at Whirlpool and DaimlerChrysler. Earlier in her career she gained experience in consumer marketing, product development and engineering at Ford Motor Co., McKinsey & Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. She holds an Master of Business Administration in marketing and finance from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; a Master of Science in systems engineering from the School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania; and Bachelor of Science in computer engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology.
