Hertz lands new top marketing executive from a GE brand

Wayne Davis, who spent the past decade overseeing several high-performing GE brands, has been named chief marketing officer of Lee County rental car giant Hertz Global Holdings. 

Davis will join the company as executive vice president and CMO effective Jan, 3, 2023, according to a statement. Davis will be responsible for leading the Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty brands and shaping the company's marketing strategy to drive effective brand reach and customer engagement. Laura Smith, who has led marketing for the last two years, will continue in her role as executive vice president, global sales and customer experience.

Davis joins Hertz with more than 20 years of marketing, sales and business development experience across multiple industries. For the last four years, he has led the mass premium Café brand for GE Appliances, a Haier Company, the release states. Under his leadership, Café has more than tripled in size and is one of the fastest growing brands in the appliance industry.

"I am delighted to have Wayne join our leadership team at this exciting time for Hertz," Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr says in the statement. "Wayne's brand-building experience and expertise in data-driven marketing analytics is a powerful combination, and I am excited about the vision he will bring to Hertz as we transform our business through electrification, shared mobility and a digital-first customer experience."

Prior to leading the Café brand, Davis was senior brand director for Haier & Hotpoint at GE Appliances. He was also the commercial leader for GE Appliances' FirstBuild innovation hub, where he led the successful launch of the Opal Nugget Ice Maker.

"Hertz is an iconic brand with unlimited potential," Davis says in the release. "I'm excited to get started with a talented marketing team to bring even more breakthrough ideas to the marketplace and connect Hertz with our consumer, corporate and rideshare customers."

Estero-based Hertz, in an unrelated move, also recently agreed to pay $168 million to settle lawsuits brought by hundreds of customers alleging it reported vehicles stolen while the drivers were in good standing.