Ducati->ke622 has made a management shuffle at the top of its managerial tree in North America after announcing that Jason Chinnock will assume the position of CEO of Ducati North America beginning in January 1, 2016. Chinnock will be replacing Dominique Cheraki, the incumbent CEO of DNA, who will then transition into the role of Ducati Network Development Director. Cheraki’s new role will see him pack his bags and head across the Atlantic to Ducati headquarters in Borgo Panigale in Bologna, Italy.

Chinnock’s appointment to CEO of Ducati North America will see him take responsibilty for all of the company’s operations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It’s a return to his old stomping ground of sorts. Before filling his current role as the Marketing General Manager for Automobile Lamborghini->ke44 America, Chinnock spent a majority of the previous decade working for DNA, first as the National Sales Director, a role he filled for eight years before moving up to become the company’s Sales and Marketing Director in 2011.

Now that he’s back as the head honcho of Ducati North America, Chinnock will have a lot on his plate as the primary decision-maker of the company’s business efforts in the region. It’s a far cry from the previous position he held within DNA, but if anybody’s up to the task, Ducati seems to have confidence that Chinnock is the right man for the job.

Continue reading to read more about Jason Chinnock’s appointment as Ducati North America CEO.

Why it matters

Jason Chinnock will have some big shoes to fill when he takes the reins from Dominique Cheraki as the new CEO of Ducati North America. Under Cheraki’s watch, Ducati North America achieved five consecutive growth years in the region on the back of the US continuing its position as the company’s top overall market. Ducati even experienced sales growths in both Mexico and Canada but most importantly, Cheraki’s last year as CEO of Ducati North America is also headed for record sales numbers. In the first half of 2015, the US market increased its sales growth by 10 percent compared to the same time period from the previous year.

That’s the kind of pressure that Chinnock will have on his shoulders once he becomes the region’s new CEO. Ducati seems to be confident that he can get the job done. Why else would it persuade him to move back to the company after spending the past two years with Lamborghini?

It’s still too early to tell how Chinnock will assume the role, but for now, it does look like a solid hire for Ducati. Instead of getting someone who isn’t familiar with the brand, it brought back someone who earned his managerial stripes under the Ducati banner.

Best of luck to Ducati North America and Jason Chinnock. Here’s to more record-setting sales numbers in the years to come!