Mercedes-Benz USA has named Dietmar Exler as president and chief executive of sales for the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Exler replaces Stephen Cannon, who will leave the company.

Exler takes over the dual roles on Jan. 1. He will also oversee sales in Canada and Mexico. He reports to Ola Kaellenius, member of Daimler AG's board of management. Cannon remains as a consultant for Mercedes-Benz until Jan. 31.

In his new role, Exler assumes responsibility for Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and the smart brand. He leads MBUSA's more than 1,500 employees and 373 dealers throughout the U.S. as well as an additional 1,240 employees in Canada and Mexico.

Exler will leave his existing role as vice president of sales for MBUSA, where he has served since January of 2014. Prior to that role, he was vice president for Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA.

Exler's career spans nearly two decades with international business experience in various leadership roles. He began at McKinsey & Co. in 1997 as part of the financial interest group in their Germany office and later in their Midwest office, based out of Detroit. Five years later, Exler joined then-DaimlerChrysler Financial as senior manager of program development and was promoted to vice president of marketing the same year.