• December 16, 2011

The Daimler Board of Management has appointed Steve Cannon the new president and CEO for Montvale, N.J.-based Mercedes-Benz USA. Cannon, who is VP marketing at the company, moves to the corner office on New Years Day. Or the day after, probably. He replaces Ernst Lieb, who left the company in October.  

Cannon will now report directly to Joachim Schmidt, EVP sales and marketing for Mercedes-Benz Cars in Stuttgart, Germany.  

Cannon, according to the company, will now have overall responsibility for the Mercedes-Benz, (soon to be discontinued) Maybach, Sprinter and "smart" brands in the United States. He will lead MBUSA's more than 1,700 employees and 356 dealers throughout the U.S. 

Cannon, who started in the business with Mercedes-Benz in 1991, has been executive assistant to the president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz of North America, team member in Stuttgart in the group that developed, manufacturing and launched the brand's first SUV, the M-Class.   

He has also been director of marketing for debis Financial Services (later Daimler Financial Services) and then jumped the fence to be principal of Dallas ad firm Richards Group.