Former Tesla executive Diarmuid O'Connell has joined Fair's executive team as chief strategy officer as the company prepares to roll out nationwide this year.
Launched last August, Fair is an app that lets customers get a used car entirely on their phone, with the ability to turn it in any time.
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O'Connell will help direct Fair's organisational and market activities as it gets ready to expand from California to major markets across the US throughout 2018.
"Diarmuid is a world-class executive and leader who has proven himself in an array of disciplines and organisations—from groundbreaking companies to our country's national security framework," said Scott Painter, Fair's founder and CEO. "Diarmuid's experience launching revolutionary products will be a critical aspect of our growth plan, while his operational savvy and close relationships at all levels of business and government will help us overcome countless obstacles along the way."
Diarmuid comes to Fair after 11 years at Tesla, where he served across multiple functions in his capacity as head of business development. Besides managing commercial and OEM relationships, Diarmuid negotiated strategic deals, took leadership on global public policy, and served on several occasions as interim head of communications.
Prior to Tesla, Diarmuid served as chief of staff for political military affairs at the US State Department, where he was involved in policy and operational support to the U.S military in various theatres of operation. He had worked in corporate strategy as a management consultant for Accenture, co-founded an educational software development startup, and was a senior executive with both Young & Rubicam and McCann-Erickson.
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By GlobalDataCustomers can shop for cars from Fair's dealer partners in the app and scan their driver's licence to see if they are pre-qualified for a range of monthly payments. If approved, they can sign for their car with their finger, pick up their keys, and drive it for as long as they want.
Fair is working with hundreds of dealers throughout California alone, has raised significant debt and equity capital, and entered into several strategic alliances to help scale its model nationwide. Earlier this year, it acquired the Xchange Leasing portfolio from Uber and became Uber's exclusive long-term vehicle partner in the US for drivers seeking access for 30 days or longer.
Fair also acquired assets of vehicle-delivery app, Skurt, as part of its plan to quickly scale a cost-effective platform for vehicle delivery, pick-up and fleet management. More recently, Fair announced a strategic relationship with Ally Financial in which Fair will use Ally's SmartAuction platform as a remarketing solution for its returned cars and offer consumers flexible car financing powered by Ally's Clearlane program—in addition to exploring other areas in which to partner.
