January 12, 2012

Global automotive retail consulting firm, Urban Science, announced the hiring of Rod Wright as its first-ever chief operations officer. In this role, he will be responsible for overseeing the firm’s 17 regional offices strategically positioned around the world.  With more than 750 employees worldwide, Urban Science serves the majority of the world’s automobile manufacturers.

“As Urban Science continues to serve a growing number of clients worldwide, the addition of a chief operations officer to our corporate management team reinforces our commitment to their success,” said Jim Anderson, president and CEO of Urban Science. “We have expanded steadily, adding offices in France, Russia and China in recent years. Rod is a seasoned professional who possesses the education, experience and can-do attitude needed to support our continued, aggressive global growth.”

Most recently, Wright served as president of his own venture,1050 Enterprises, and as chief operating officer of Veritas Automotive and Machinery. Additionally, he served in a business development role at Trilogy, a dealer analytics and software company. He previously held positions including vice president and general manager, J.D. Power & Associates, and partner at Accenture.

Wright earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering and master’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan.

Wright’s hiring follows a year of tremendous growth for Urban Science. In 2011, the firm added the position of chief information officer and created its project management office to increase the quality of projects and services available to clients across the globe.  The company recently doubled the size of its world headquarters in the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit through a $10 million renovation and expansion project.

Founded in 1977, Urban Science is a global automotive retail consulting firm that takes a scientific approach to help companies identify where they should allocate resources in order to increase their market share and profitability in the most effective and efficient manner. With headquarters in Detroit, Urban Science serves its global clientele from offices in the United States, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Australia, China, Mexico, Russia and Japan. For more information on Urban Science, visit www.urbanscience.com.