Irvine, CA, June 14, 2016 – SouthWest Dealer Services (SWDS) announced today that SWDS Holdings’ board of directors appointed Vernon Leake Chief Executive Officer. Leake succeeds Eric Hamann, who will now serve as President of SouthWest Dealer Services.

“I am honored and excited to take on this role and work with the leadership team at SWDS to take advantage of the tremendous market opportunity and continue growing our footprint, while providing best-in-class service to our dealer partners,” said Leake.

Leake recently served as SWDS’ Senior Vice President of Reinsurance. Prior to joining SWDS, he was CEO and co-founder of Century Automotive Service Corporation. Subsequent to the MAPFRE Group’s acquisition of Century in 2012, Leake served as its CEO and Head of Specialty Risk for North America. In the earlier part of his career, he was an officer and member of the Board of Directors of DAC Insurance Company.

“Vernon and I have worked together for several years. He is an exceptional leader and has the skill set needed to lead the company as we continue to grow SouthWest, both organically and through strategic acquisitions,” said Ken Shubin Stein, CEO and Chairman of Spencer Capital Holdings, parent company of SWDS.