AMA Group has promoted Mathew Cooper to the role of CEO effective today following a period of leadership changes at the collision repairer.

Mr Cooper joined AMA in September 2021 as COO and has had responsibilities encompassing business development, commercial partners and operational management of all group business units.

Previous CEO Carl Bizon stepped down after the company’s annual general meeting, while Caroline Waldron has replaced Anthony Day as chairman amid a number of board changes.

Ms Waldron says the board appointed Mr Cooper after a thorough executive search and was confident his deep understanding of AMA Group operations, balanced with his financial knowledge and automotive industry experience, would add “tremendous value” going forward.

“Over the last two years, Mathew has developed strong relationships across the AMA Group team in all parts of the business, as well as with key stakeholders including investors, suppliers, and our insurer partners,” Ms Waldron said.

“He has led the operations of the group through a challenging period, and I have no doubt that he is the right person to lead AMA Group through its next phase as we focus on profitable growth.”

Mr Cooper joined AMA from ASX listed automotive parts firm Bapcor, where he spent more than eight years in senior executive roles. Prior to that, his career included positions at Amcor, General Motors, Metcash, and Deloitte.

Mr Cooper says a team of over 3300 people across Australia and New Zealand has “done a huge amount of heavy lifting across all areas of the business” and it’s well positioned for the future.

“I look forward to working with the board and the broader team as we continue to evolve as a customer-centric business to deliver quality services and experiences for our customers,” he said. “I look forward to continuing to enhance our customer relationships, to ensure we are their repairer of choice.”

AMA Group, which fell short of its guidance last financial year, has been pursuing better pricing deals with insurers and has said the operating performance of the business has improved over the past six months.