MEDFORD, Ore., Aug. 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lithia & Driveway (NYSE:LAD) today announced the appointment of Scott Cooke as Operations President and welcomes his leadership, experience and passion to further advance its mission of Growth Powered by People.

Scott brings two and a half decades of experience with Toyota Financial Services, most recently serving as President and CEO, where he led an integrated business that touched virtually every aspect of the vehicle ownership lifecycle, with more than $150 billion in managed assets. His deep experience across automotive finance, operations, and people development will help us accelerate our growth, further drive performance, and leverage the strategic strengths and differentiations that Lithia & Driveway have built.

As Operations President, Cooke will lead performance across the Southeastern and South Central Store Operations, Driveway Finance Corporation (DFC), and Finance & Insurance, aligning operational, financial, and people strategies to drive customer loyalty, operational excellence, and long-term shareholder value.

"Scott is a perfect cultural fit and proven leader with deep operational expertise, a customer-first mindset, and an impressive track record of delivering results," said Bryan DeBoer, President and CEO of Lithia & Driveway. "As we continue executing our strategy, Scott's leadership will help accelerate performance across our platform while advancing our mission of Growth Powered by People. His experience building high-performing teams and creating scalable operational excellence makes him an outstanding addition to our executive leadership team."

Scott joins Mike Cavanaugh, recently promoted to Operations President, Bryan Osterhout, Operations President in the Western Region, and Neil Williamson, Operations President in the UK, as part of LAD’s senior operations leadership team. Together, they bring deep operational experience and a shared focus on developing people, improving performance, and driving sustainable growth across the organization.

The appointment comes as DFC leader Chuck Lietz prepares to retire in 2027. Throughout his career with LAD, Chuck has played an important role in the company's operational success and leadership development efforts.

"We are grateful for Chuck's many contributions to Lithia & Driveway and the impact he has had on our people, culture, and performance," DeBoer said. "His leadership has been nothing short of remarkable helping build a strong foundation for continued growth, and we look forward to culminating his illustrious career together over the next few quarters and his retirement."

These leadership transitions reflect Lithia & Driveway's commitment to developing talent and building a deep leadership bench capable of supporting the company's long-term growth strategy.

Guided by its mission of Growth Powered by People, LAD remains focused on delivering a high-performance culture while making Auto Done Easy for customers through seamless experiences, operational excellence, and a relentless commitment to earning customer loyalty wherever, whenever and however they choose.

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