Dennis Mara has been appointed chief financial officer for the used-car warranty company AUL Corp., based in Napa.
In addition, the company promoted Elizabeth Gutierrez to comptroller from financial reporting and analysis leader.
Mara comes to the CFO post after serving in the position for four months as interim.
In a career that spans 25 years, Mara has spent the last 15 in the automotive finance and insurance industry. Most recently, he was vice president of Mergers and Acquisitions and Finance for Portfolio Group, an finance and insurance provider out of Dallas. Prior to that, Mara for six years was CFO for Interstate National Dealer Services, Inc., a vehicle service contract (VSC) administrator and underwriter based in Atlanta.
“Dennis brings tremendous industry knowledge and financial experience to the AUL family. He is especially masterful in financial planning, budgeting, and accounting processes, and has a long history of increasing efficiencies and improving profitability,” said Jimmy Atkinson, AUL president and CEO. “His expertise, passion and leadership over the past four months have demonstrated that he is the right person to lead us forward.”
Gutierrez started her AUL career as a customer service representative 20 years ago, she was honored in 2020 with the North Bay Business Journal’s Latino Business Leadership Award for her local philanthropic contributions.
“As a president and CEO, it is always most gratifying to watch and experience the growth of one of your own, both from a professional and personal perspective. Elizabeth truly embodies the spirit of AUL, where the care of fellow employees and customers is paramount.” added Atkinson.