ARLINGTON HEIGHTS – American Auto Guardian, Inc. announced that Andrew Wilson joined their sales team as Eastern Regional Vice President.

With over 20 years of experience in the automotive industry, Andrew’s career began in retail and included time as a Salesperson, Sales Manager and F&I Manager.

Andrew has also held a number of training, sales and executive positions within the F&I consulting and vehicle service contract industry. Andrew’s career includes the recruitment, development and leadership of an OEM direct sales force responsible for the eastern US. Additionally, Andrew has been a partner in an F&I consulting firm that focused on helping dealers both drive F&I performance and optimize the returns in their reinsurance ventures.

Andrew joined the AAGI team in January 2012 and is responsible for developing and managing the eastern region of the country.

SCOTTSDALE — CNA National announced that Mark Wheeler was appointed to regional vice president, effective Jan. 6.

“At CNA National, we continue to enhance our sales organization in order to expand our position as an industry leader,” said Alan Miller, senior vice president of sales. “Mark’s career is highlighted by multiple successes in the sales and management of finance and insurance products. His professional experience will greatly benefit CNA National.”

Prior to his most recent position as national sales director for Profit Plus, Wheeler spent five years as regional vice president for the asset-protection division of Protective Life Insurance Company, managing the Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska regions. Prior to that, Wheeler served as regional sales manager for Universal Underwriters Group in New Jersey.

“It is exciting to join CNA National during this time of growth,” Wheeler said. “I am confident my time in operational management and sales experience in the field will help build even stronger relationships for CNA National for future business.”

AUSTIN – RoadVantage announced a key addition to their executive team, Michael Mills, who will assume the role of Chief Financial and Operations Officer effective January 3, 2012.

Michael is a results driven executive who has been working in the finance industry for nearly two decades. Most recently he held the post of Vice President of Operations for Imagine Technology Group where he provided financial leadership during their acquisition phase, managed investor relations and was a primary driver of growth within the organization.

Prior to that, he held finance and operations roles for MWB Business Systems and Danka Industries. He has a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas.

“The expansion of our executive team will fuel RoadVantage’s growth while allowing us to continue to service our agents and dealerships at the highest level,” said RoadVantage CEO and founder, Garret Lacour.

“Michael’s executive experience in finance and operations, impressive track record for exceeding expectations, and his enthusiasm for business challenges and team-based success will build on our ability to deliver the most innovative products and provide service levels that meet and exceed expectations.”

Mills has more than 20 years of experience in financial roles including development of accounting systems, budget and forecasting, audit, tax planning, investor relations, acquisitions and venture capital.

As Chief Financial and Operations Officer, Michael will report directly to Garret Lacour, CEO and founder of RoadVantage, and be responsible for heading up all RoadVantage operations.

CHICAGO – The Warranty Group, Inc., a global provider of service plans and related benefits, announced Doug Frey has been appointed Senior Vice President Consumer Products and TPA, with responsibility for US operations.

Prior to joining The Warranty Group, Frey held several positions in the warranty industry, including three years as president of Administration Specialists of Omaha and nine years as senior vice president, CFO, and board member of Universal Warranty.

Mike Frosch, President of The Warranty Group, stated “Doug brings an extensive background across many product areas and functional disciplines. His leadership will be a great asset to our US growth strategy.”

Frey is a CPA with an MBA from the University of Michigan and a BA from Albion College.

RICHMOND — Rick Wagoner spent nearly two decades atop the world’s largest auto company. After almost three years of silence, the former chief executive of General Motors Co. emerged over the weekend.

Mr. Wagoner picked his hometown of Richmond, Va., to make his first public appearance since 2009, when he was ousted from GM by the Obama administration as a condition of the government’s rescue of the company. He addressed 1,100 winter graduates at Virginia Commonwealth University, reported The Wall Street Journal.

His speech was short—roughly 12 minutes. Beforehand, he fended off several interview requests, including one from the local paper that has covered him since he was captain of the high-school basketball team. He barely mentioned GM, but talked to graduates about taking risks and accepting defeat gracefully.

It was a fitting speech for an executive who often was visibly uncomfortable in the spotlight, but popular among those who worked for him.

The 58-year-old former CEO’s only mention of GM came as he tried to convey to his audience the importance of accepting challenges. He said he never wanted to live in New York or overseas, though those were his first assignments from GM, and he benefited from them.

“I was willing to go just about anywhere in the U.S. for the best job—except New York City,” he said. “Of course, I received a job offer from GM—in New York City.”

“Don’t worry about planning every step of your life,” he added.

Mr. Wagoner rose to prominence at age 39 when he was named GM’s youngest-ever chief financial officer and heir apparent to then-CEO Jack Smith.

He succeeded his mentor in 2000, and became one of the highest-profile CEOs in the world and the face of Detroit. The way he ran GM played a major role in shaping the direction of the global auto industry.

He kept car sales going in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks with a “Keep America Rolling” campaign and heavy use of incentives.

Detroit’s smaller auto makers, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group LLC, were forced to follow GM’s lead and, to some extent, Toyota Motor Corp. and other auto makers did as well.

When Mr. Wagoner entered GM into an alliance with Italian auto maker Fiat SpA, the move triggered a string of similar alliances around the world.

His focus on high-margin trucks and sport-utility vehicles, at the expense of passenger cars, in many ways defined Detroit’s strategy. After GM bought Hummer, the line of military-like SUVs, Ford followed with the purchase of Land Rover.

While Mr. Wagoner’s strategies helped propel GM to multibillion-dollar profits, particularly in the 1990s when he headed the company’s North American operations, they ultimately contributed to its downfall.

GM began racking up losses in the mid-2000s, amid sales declines and skyrocketing health-care costs. By 2008, truck sales were tanking and GM’s cars couldn’t compete with those built by Toyota and Honda Motor Co. of Japan.

Mr. Wagoner closed factories and reduced head count, but many of his steps to shore up GM came too late and fell short.

During his tenure, GM had losses of $85 billion. He struck a landmark deal with the union to offload retiree costs into a union trust in 2005, but three years later the company still owed the fund billions. He fought against a bankruptcy filing, fearing it would cause a customer exodus that would be fatal to GM. And he resisted cutting unprofitable brands and models, moves the Obama administration forced in bankruptcy, along with further job cuts, factory closures and steps to shed billions in debt through bankruptcy.

In early 2009, as GM pleaded for a government bailout, Mr. Wagoner told President Barack Obama’s automotive task force that he would step down if it meant saving GM. It did, and he resigned in March.

After leaving GM, Mr. Wagoner dug into work at his alma mater, Duke University, where he was named head of the board of directors earlier this year.

Two of his three sons are Duke graduates, and a third now is attending the school. Mr. Wagoner also sits on the boards of Washington Post Co. and Detroit Country Day High School.

Though he doesn’t talk about GM in public, Mr. Wagoner talks regularly to former co-workers at the company, inquiring often about how people are doing, according to several people who keep in touch with him.

Shortly after GM’s current CEO, Dan Akerson, took over last fall, Mr. Wagoner met with him to talk about the company.

“He’s still incredibly loyal to GM,” said one former executive who stays in contact with Mr. Wagoner.

Mr. Wagoner closed his address Saturday with a quote from Mother Teresa: ” ‘What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight,’ ” he said. ” ‘Build anyway.’ “

CHICAGO – Resource Automotive, Inc., a unit of The Warranty Group, Inc., announced that Charlie Robinson has been named President and COO of Resource Automotive, with responsibility for all North American automotive segments including Resource Dealer Group, First Extended Service Corporation, reinsurance, BDC and national accounts and sales.

“Charlie has been with Resource Automotive for 24 years in various positions, including president of Resource Dealer Group, and he has made a positive impact for our company and for our customers with each assignment,”said Mike Frosch, president of North America for The Warranty Group.

In addition to his tenure at Resource, Robinson spent four years as an executive at Asbury Automotive, where he served as vice president of financial services.

Resource Automotive, established in 1964, is a global provider of automotive financial services products and programs, including vehicle service contracts, GAP, pre-paid maintenance, used vehicle certification, inventory management and a wide range of participation options.