Gary Akin is vice president of sales for the automotive operations of American Suzuki Motor Corporation, based at company headquarters in Brea, California. Akin, who joined American Suzuki in February 2007, is responsible for overseeing Suzuki Auto's sales efforts, including dealer relations, field operations, market support, sales planning, distribution and market representation.
Akin has more than 20 years of experience in the automotive industry, serving in areas such as dealer development, brand management and sales operations. He began his career at Ford Motor Co. in consumer affairs and later moved on to district service and parts manager. In 1984, Akin joined Volkswagen of America and held field and management positions in sales operations, distribution and dealer development. He continued to hone his automotive industry knowledge at Nissan, where he helped launch the luxury brand Infiniti in a dealer development role. While with Nissan, Akin also held positions in sales operations and brand management. He later returned to Volkswagen to contribute to the brand's resurgence in the American market in 1996. Until early 2007, Akin had held a variety of positions at Volkswagen of America.
Akin earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kan. He resides in Southern California and enjoys spending time with his family, motor sports and most outdoor activities.