The Shyft Group, Inc., a North American provider of specialty vehicle manufacturing, assembly, and upfit for the commercial, retail, and service specialty vehicle markets, has appointed Pamela Kermisch, chief customer growth officer at Polaris, to the company’s board of directors.
“We are pleased to welcome Pam Kermisch to the Shyft Board,” said James Sharman, chair of the Shyft board. “Pam brings a proven track record of successfully guiding brand strategy and positioning as well as dealer/retail marketing. In addition, her operational expertise in commercial strategy, insights and analytics, digital transformation, and customer experience will complement our existing Board. Pam’s success in leading enterprise-wide marketing and customer growth activities will bring invaluable perspective and insights as Shyft goes to market with electric vehicles for commercial fleets and more.”
Since January 2018, Kermisch has served as the chief customer growth officer at Polaris Inc., the global leader in powersports. She is responsible for helping to deepen Polaris’ relationships with its existing valued customers, while also expanding brand awareness and connecting with new consumer bases. Kermisch joined Polaris in 2015 and previously served as the vice president off-road vehicle marketing and Polaris’ On Road business, which includes Indian Motorcycle and Slingshot. In both roles, she was responsible for building a pipeline of potential customers, converting riders from shop to buy, and continuing to build the brand experience with owners.
Prior to her positions at Polaris, Kermisch served as the Integrated Marketing Director for General Mills, a global manufacturer of consumer-packaged goods, from 2006 to 2015, where she led integrated marketing for some of its largest brands and key strategic efforts such as Box Tops for Education, expansion in multicultural marketing, and partnerships and licensing. She currently serves on the Greater Twin Cities United Way board of directors and the marketing department advisory board of the University of Arizona Eller School of Business.
