Visteon Corporation Names Martin T. Thall to Lead Global Automotive Electronics Business

VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich., Nov. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Visteon Corporation (NYSE: VC) today announced that Martin T. Thall, a former Verizon and Microsoft executive with extensive in-vehicle technology experience, has been named executive vice president and president of Visteon Electronics, a business unit of the global automotive supplier. Thall succeeds Steve Meszaros, who has led Visteon's electronics business since 2005 and who will leave the company at the end of this year to pursue other career opportunities.

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Thall, 52, has spent the last decade of his 30-year technology career focused on improving the driving experience through the development of in-vehicle solutions. After 14 years in software engineering and systems integration roles at Digital Equipment, Thall served 12 years in leadership roles at Microsoft, the last four as vice president and general manager, automotive and embedded operating systems. Previously, Thall was vice president of Microsoft's communications sector, responsible for business with wireline, wireless, cable and media companies worldwide. After leaving Microsoft in 2008, he founded and served as CEO of Vehicle ICT Corporation, consulting with automakers, suppliers and technology companies. Most recently, Thall was a vice president at Verizon Communications, responsible for telematics services strategy, acquisition and integration.  

Visteon President and CEO Timothy D. Leuliette thanked Meszaros for his contributions over the past eight years, and described Thall as a uniquely qualified leader with exceptional credentials to lead the company's electronics business into the future. 

"Marty's rare blend of consumer electronics and automotive experience is ideally suited to lead and grow our electronics business during a period of rapid change in this segment," Leuliette said. "The automobile has become the world's largest mobile device, and we are confident that under Marty's leadership, Visteon will expand its position as a leader in helping automakers integrate consumer electronics into the vehicle in innovative ways that are driver-friendly and cost-effective, while mitigating distraction."

Thall assumes leadership of one of the world's largest suppliers of vehicle cockpit electronics, with 16 manufacturing facilities, four technical centers and about 5,000 employees in its consolidated operations. Visteon recently strengthened its position in the fast-growing vehicle cockpit electronics market by modifying its electronics joint ventures in China to obtain control of the majority of Yanfeng Visteon Automotive Electronics Co., Ltd. (YFVE).

Thall is a past recipient of an Automotive News Europe All-Star award for collaboration with Fiat Group on the BLUE&ME™ infotainment system, and an Automotive News All-Star award for collaboration with Ford Motor Co. on the award-winning first-generation Sync® communications and entertainment system.

He has a bachelor of arts degree in information systems from the University of Richmond and a bachelor of science degree in technical management from DeVry University. He has a master's degree in progress from the Keller Graduate School of Management.

About Visteon

Visteon is a leading global automotive supplier delivering value for vehicle manufacturers and shareholders through a family of businesses including:

• Halla Visteon Climate Control Corp., majority-owned by Visteon and the world's second-largest global supplier of automotive climate components and systems.
• Visteon Electronics, a leading supplier of audio and infotainment, driver information, center stack electronics and feature control modules.
• Visteon Interiors, a global provider of vehicle cockpit modules, instrument panels, consoles and door trim modules.
• Yanfeng Visteon Automotive Trim Systems Co., Ltd., a successful non-consolidated China-based partnership between Visteon and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation's automotive components group, Huayu Automotive Systems.

Through this family of enterprises, Visteon designs, engineers and manufactures innovative components and systems for virtually every vehicle manufacturer worldwide, and these businesses generated $13.8 billion in sales in 2012, including non-consolidated operations. With corporate offices in Van Buren Township, Mich. (U.S.); Shanghai, China; and Chelmsford, UK; Visteon has facilities in 29 countries and employs through its various businesses, including non-consolidated operations, approximately 55,000 people. Learn more at www.visteon.com.

SOURCE Visteon Corporation

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