Long-serving motoring industry leader and Tamworth native, Terry Keating, is the new chairman of the Australian Automotive Dealer Association, taking over from the retiring Ian Field.
The announcement came last month during a board meeting held at the AADA National Dealer Convention in Melbourne.
Mr Keating has been a President of MTA-NSW, a director of the MTAA, Chair of the Ford National Dealer Council, Chairman of the BMW National Dealer Council, and a Dealer in Tamworth for 40 years.
“Terry’s experience and passion will take this AADA to what I and others dreamed it would become – the national voice of the Australian motor Dealers,” Mr Field said.
A former accountant, Mr Keating got his start in the automotive industry in 1970, operating an individual Ford dealership in Tamworth. As his business grew, Mr Keating expanded the dealership to include BMW, Nissan, Land Rover, and a range of heavy truck franchises. He retired in 2009, but business continues as usual under the guidance of his son Murray.
Mr Keating’s career covers a broad range of areas in the automotive industry. Chairman of the BMW National Dealer council in 1998 and 1999, he also served as chairman of the Ford National Dealer Council from 2000 to 2007. It is with this knowledge that we are supremely confident in Mr Keating’s abilities and wish him all the best in acting as a powerful voice for Australian car Dealers in both the political and everyday arena.
During the Chairman’s Dinner at the AADA Convention, Mr Keating thanked his predecessor, Mr Field, for his years of service and dedication to our organisation.
He said thank you was “faint praise when compared to your achievement”, on behalf of the Dealers of Australia.
“Your legacy must be that never again will the beneficiaries of your efforts, the new car Dealers of Australia, both big and small; metro, provincial and rural, allow complacency and in some cases disinterest, to cause our association and indeed our combined destinies, to be controlled by anyone other than new car Dealers,” Mr Keating said.
“Automotive Dealer” extends it congratulations to Mr Keating and looks forward to the AADA continuing to go from strength to strength.