Collector Car Industry Veterans With 100+ Years of Combined Experience Launch Broad Arrow Group
- Broad Arrow Group Seeks to Create Industry-Leading Platform to Buy, Sell, and Finance Collector Cars
- Company Led by Kenneth Ahn with Founding Members including Barney Ruprecht, Alexander Weaver, Donnie Gould, Maddie Baker, Alain Squindo, Ian Kelleher, Mike Mortorano and Karsten Le Blanc
- Broad Arrow Group Formed with a Vision to Transform the Industry and Set a New Bar for Integrity, Trust, and Innovation
6 December 2021 - A group of industry veterans with over 100 years of combined experience have launched a new company in the collector car industry. Broad Arrow Group, Inc. (“Broad Arrow Group”) plans to develop a portfolio of businesses and brands to address the needs of various segments of the collector car market, including auctions, private sales, and financial services.
Broad Arrow Group is led by Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Ahn, who most recently served as President of RM Sotheby’s from 2016 to 2021. Ahn comments, “Broad Arrow Group represents the collective vision of its founders to be the best advisor, marketplace, and financier for car collectors. With an estimated $25 billion worth of collector cars trading hands each year, the collector car industry is complex and highly fragmented with extraordinary amounts of both information and misinformation among participants. Broad Arrow Group aims to transform the industry as the preeminent marketplace for collectors and enthusiasts.”
Under Ahn’s leadership, Broad Arrow Group was founded by industry veterans who not only share a passion for cars, but also a shared vision of bringing a new level of trust and accountability to the collector car market across multiple channels.
Anchoring the team with years of experience and unparalleled automotive expertise will be senior car specialists Barney Ruprecht, Alexander Weaver and Donnie Gould. Together, the three will be responsible for overseeing the Company’s growth in private sales and auctions.
Founding members of the company include:
Kenneth Ahn, Chief Executive Officer
Ken brings over 20 years of strategy, finance, and operational experience to Broad Arrow Group. Most recently, at RM Sotheby’s, Ken grew the company’s geographic footprint, formed strategic partnerships and joint ventures, and founded one of the largest captive financing businesses in the industry focused on financing high-end collector cars. Prior to that, Ken was Senior Vice President of Strategy & Corporate Development at Sotheby’s in New York, Vice President in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs in New York, and he began his career as a strategy and management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group in Seoul and New York. Ken holds an AB with honors in economics from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He has been a lifelong car enthusiast and is based near Detroit, Michigan.
Barney Ruprecht, Senior Car Specialist
Barney comes to Broad Arrow Group as a Partner and Senior Car Specialist after working as one of the top specialists at RM Sotheby’s. Barney is a true automotive enthusiast with passion that spans all eras and many marques. He has expertise in Post-War sports cars, Formula 1 racing cars, and modern supercars. Barney will co-lead Broad Arrow Group’s consignment and sales efforts for both private sales and auctions alongside colleagues Alexander Weaver and Donnie Gould. Barney is based in New York City, travelling extensively to meet clients and inspect cars.
Alexander Weaver, Senior Car Specialist
Alexander joins Broad Arrow Group as a Partner and Senior Car Specialist after more than a decade at RM Sotheby’s, where he quickly rose to becoming one of the company’s leading car specialists. With expertise in important post-war sports and GT cars, alongside modern supercars and hypercars, he has handled the sales of some of the world’s most valuable motor cars both privately and at auction. Alexander joins Broad Arrow Group to work alongside Barney Ruprecht and Donnie Gould to co-lead the company’s efforts for both private sales and auctions. As a resident of Los Angeles, Alexander maintains an active presence within the Southern California car community and thriving sports car culture, regularly attending driving events throughout the year.
Donnie Gould, Senior Car Specialist
Donnie Gould joins Broad Arrow Group as a Partner and Senior Car Specialist after a nearly 40-year career in the collector car industry. Formerly a leading specialist at RM Sotheby’s, he played integral roles in developing their presence in the South Florida auction market as well as having served as President of the Auctions America subsidiary beginning in 2010. Prior to joining RM Sotheby’s Donnie spent over two decades in the vintage automobile auction and restoration industries. Donnie’s experience is truly all-encompassing as his encyclopedic knowledge of all collector cars is matched only by his ability to assess and judge those same cars with authority and confidence that only decades of experience can provide. Donnie will work alongside Barney Ruprecht and Alexander Weaver to co-lead the company’s efforts for both private sales and auctions. Donnie is based in Stuart, Florida and participates in many of the area’s year-round automotive events.
Maddie Baker, Director of Client Services
Maddie Baker comes to Broad Arrow Group as the Director of Client Services after a career spent working in both Client Service and Client Development at RM Sotheby’s. Maddie has managed client participation for many live and online auctions across North America, deepening her longstanding relationships with clients around the world and assisting them through inquiry, registration, bidding, and buying processes. Maddie also works extensively with the Specialist Team to ensure client support throughout both the buying and selling processes and frequently serves as the first point of contact for many clients, a responsibility bolstered by her personality, problem-solving skills, and industry knowledge.
Alain Squindo, Chief Operating Officer
Alain is primarily responsible for the execution of the company’s research, client service, logistics, and operational initiatives. Alain joined Broad Arrow Group after a 14-year career at RM Sotheby’s where he oversaw auction execution from the first consignment to the auction block and post-sale processes. He began his career in the collector car industry as a research and editorial writer while at Georgetown University. Alain is based near Detroit, Michigan, where he’s actively involved in the Motor City’s automotive culture and events.
Ian Kelleher, Chief Marketing Officer
Ian comes to Broad Arrow Group after a 21-year career at RM Sotheby’s where he led strategic marketing, press relations, and social media. Having worked in many facets of the business, including as a car specialist for over a decade, Ian brings his deep industry experience, and he leads relationships with strategic partners and organizations to support the consignment process and marketing efforts. He currently resides in New York City.
Mike Mortorano, Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel
Mike brings extensive experience to Broad Arrow Group in handling a wide variety of transactions and disputes, most recently serving as General Counsel for RM Sotheby’s. Prior to that, Mike held positions at two leading international law firms. He earned his B.S. in Business Administration, cum laude, from Georgetown University and his J.D. magna cum laude from George Mason
University School of Law. Mike is a member in good standing of the State Bar of Georgia and Virginia State Bar, and he has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America© “Ones to Watch.”
Karsten Le Blanc, Chief Financial Officer
Karsten Le Blanc brings 30 years of finance experience to the company. Karsten will join Broad Arrow Group mid-January 2022 from a UK-based collector car finance company, of which he was the founder and Managing Director. Prior to this, Karsten was a Managing Director of Credit Suisse AG, for whom he worked in London and Zurich between 1992 and 2017, with a hiatus between 2013 to 2015, when he was a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank AG, London. Born in the Netherlands, Karsten holds a degree in Economics from Tilburg University. He speaks English, German, French and Dutch fluently and is proficient in Spanish. He resides in London, UK. Karsten is a petrol head, who likes racing and rallying and who has a broad taste when it comes to collecting cars.
Broad Arrow Group’s founding partners, specialists, and team members plan to leverage their expertise and experience across all categories of the collector car market to become the pre-eminent marketplace for car collectors and enthusiasts.
For further information, visit broadarrowgroup.com and sign up for the Broad Arrow Group newsletter to receive updates on its business launches, strategic partnerships, and services.
About Broad Arrow Group
Broad Arrow Group, Inc. (“Broad Arrow Group”) represents the collective vision of its founders, team members, and partners — to be the best advisor, marketplace, and financier for car collectors, with integrity, trust, and innovation. Broad Arrow Group is a holding company, founded in 2021 and headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to develop and operate a portfolio of businesses and brands that address the needs of various segments of the collector car market and to transform the collector car industry. Learn more at broadarrowgroup.com.