HOUSTON, Texas ─ The NPD Group has announced the appointment of Nathan Shipley as director of client development for its automotive aftermarket business unit, which provides market information and insights to the aftermarket industry.

Prior to joining NPD, Shipley was a relationship manager with The Nielsen Co., a global information and measurement company. In his role at Nielsen, Shipley was part of a client development team that was on-site at a top client’s headquarters. As part of the continuous analytics team, he identified and communicated marketplace trends to the client using advanced retail measurement, consumer panel and other analytical tools and methods.

Shipley began his career in NPD’s automotive aftermarket unit where he was an account manager before leaving to join Nielsen. While at NPD, he gained an understanding of the aftermarket industry and its client base.

“Nathan’s prior experience in working with aftermarket clients coupled with his experience at Nielsen makes him uniquely qualified to succeed in his new role,” said Dawn Zieren, president of NPD’s automotive aftermarket business unit. “His collective experience and knowledge will enable him to hit the ground running.”

Shipley, who holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston, will be based in Houston, Texas, where NPD’s automotive aftermarket unit is located.