• by Karl Greenberg , August 16, 2007

Newly independent Chrysler, LLC has hired Toyota marketer Deborah Wahl Meyer to be vice president and CMO, starting next week.

At 44, Meyer is a six-year veteran of Toyota, and most recently was vice president/marketing of the Lexus division. She will oversee global marketing and advertising for Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep worldwide and report to Steven Landry, executive vice president/global sales, servicing and parts.

The move comes on the heels of Chrysler's acquisition by Cerberus Capital Management, which now owns an 80% stake in the company. It also follows Chrysler's appointment of former Home Depot CEO Robert Nardelli to chairman of the board and CEO of the Auburn Hills, Mich.-based automaker.

Meyer replaces George Murphy, former vice president/Global Brand Marketing of Chrysler Group, who departed in late May to pursue other interests.

"[Meyer] has a proven track record in the automotive industry, both in North America and globally," said Landry, in a release. "She also clearly understands the dealer network and values partnering to create positive results."

Meyer's move to Toyota bucks a trend in at least one respect. Her hire at Chrysler represents a kind of reverse osmosis, both for Chrysler and for Ford and GM.

In recent years, the Big Three have seen an exodus from Detroit automakers, both to import brands and non-automotive businesses. To wit: In 2003, Kurt Ritter left a senior post at GM to work at Saatchi & Saatchi's Torrance, Calif. office, handling Toyota. GM's advertising chief, C.J. Fraleigh, left in late 2004 to work for Sara Lee. Chrysler's own Julie Roehm departed in 2006 to become head of marketing, however temporarily, at Wal-Mart. Before that, Jeff Bell left Chrysler to handle marketing for a division of Microsoft. Meyer herself left Ford for Toyota.

At the Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford, Meyer had been marketing communications manager for Lincoln Mercury; group manager, Brand Strategy and Communications, Mazda North American Operations; and brand manager, Ford do Brasil.

Rebecca Lindland, analyst with Lexington, Mass.-based Global Insight, says there's no surprise in Meyer's move to Auburn Hills.

"This is a brand new company, and executives are really intrigued by the potential: there's a lot of money with Cerberus, and executives are going to be intrigued by the challenge," she says. "Remember, this is a brand new concept in the automotive business: a private-equity company owning an auto business. If you have personal flexibility, the potential for a lot of money is there; the potential for a unique challenge is there. I can see where people would be lured to that."