Dimitris Psillakis, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA photo by Tangent Vector

EYE TOWARD THE FUTURE

Dimitris Psillakis, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, speaks on the luxury brand’s transformative approach to customer care, electric car innovation and giving back to the Atlanta community.

After living and working internationally in Greece, Brazil, Korea and Canada, what do you enjoy about being located in Atlanta now?
I was born in Greece and have been lucky enough to travel and live all around the world, but I feel right at home in Georgia. I relocated to Atlanta in January 2020 with my wife, Maura, and our family dog. I enjoy spending my free time exploring the outdoors and trying new restaurants all around the city.

What steps have you taken since moving to Atlanta to maintain Mercedes’ goal of being No. 1 in customer service for luxury cars?
I’ve been working closely with our teams to find efficiency in providing value to our customers and dealer partners. Customer loyalty is a crucial element to building brand love and our customers love our cars and value the white-glove service our dealer partners offer. This said, customer loyalty and luxury are ever-changing and evolving as we further accelerate into the digital world. As a result, we introduced a transformation strategy to ensure Mercedes-Benz remains evermore relevant and a valuable brand for many more years to come. I’m excited to continue to drive this forward. Today, we’re reshaping our product lineup to fulfill the desire for electric vehicles, from the entry-level luxury EQB up to the flagship EQS sedan and SUV.

You recently launched a new CSR initiative titled Driving Your Future. How do you hope this initiative will positively impact future generations?
Driving Your Future is our commitment to giving back and empowering the next generation. In partnership with Junior Achievement USA and Safe Kids Worldwide, we are focused on preparing children for a successful future and keeping them safe. We also have a longtime partnership with Atlanta Public Schools providing critical support to teachers, students and families.

At our headquarters in Sandy Springs, we have hosted giveback events where employees assembled summer safety kits with Safe Kids Worldwide. Our ongoing partnership with Junior Achievement has allowed employees the opportunity to be a part of teaching students how to build economic success through business and personal life scenarios. We also recently conducted a national Back to School campaign that helped get local students back to school with much-needed school supplies here in Georgia and other locations across the country.

With the announcement of the new Mercedes-EQ Experience Training Program, how do you continue to lead Mercedes toward a future of sustainability, both within and beyond this program?
The Mercedes- EQ Experience is an immersive training program for dealership and corporate employees to deepen knowledge of electric vehicles and create pride for the new Mercedes- EQ sub-brand. Hosted in Alabama, the program is designed to energize, educate and electrify Mercedes- Benz team members nationwide. Transformation is happening, and to help accelerate our path, we need to ensure that our people are well equipped to bring this vision to life. We hope that everyone who goes through our EQ-Experience will leave feeling fully committed and excited about being part of our journey to become the world’s most desired electric luxury brand.

What drives and inspires you to create these positive changes within Mercedes and the Atlanta community? The people—whether that be our customers, our dealers, our employees or our community. They are truly the foundation of our success and the reason behind all that we do. Initiatives such as Driving Your Future have given us the opportunity to welcome future generations to the Mercedes-Benz family.

What is next for yourself and Mercedes?
Our employees, dealer partners and customers are excited about the EQ sub-brand, and for 2023, the company is ready to tackle more. Our factory in Tuscaloosa, which has been supplying GLE and GLS, will soon supply the fully electric EQS SUV. As for me, focusing on our culture is a top priority. Our new hybrid work model allows us to reconnect with colleagues, bring back in-person gatherings and support our North Star vision of becoming the most desired electric luxury brand.