The Christopher Group Recruits CHRO for The CAR Group
September 2, 2025 – The Christopher Group (TCG), a boutique HR executive search and business solutions recruiting firm, has placed Kandi Gongora as chief human resources officer of The CAR Group in Dallas, TX. Managing partner Ayla Maloney and recruiting director Kristen Perez led the assignment.
“It’s been an honor to partner with Taylor Conant and his team on the search for their CHRO,” said Ms. Maloney. “Kandi Gongora is an outstanding fit for this role—at this time, with this team. She brings a business-first mindset, deep HR expertise, and a transformational background spanning multiple industries, including automotive. Her skill set is perfectly suited to help bring Taylor’s vision for the business to life, while her people-centric approach ensures others are brought along through change. Most impressively, Kandi is a resilient, inspiring, and genuinely exceptional person.”
“As we look to make the transition from big small company to small big company, we needed to find a unique HR leader who understood the ins-and-outs of our industry and customer service model, could tie the big picture vision and strategy to specific initiatives and capabilities in HR, and sees the most important function in our business as leadership, of which HR stands in service and support,” said Taylor Conant, CEO of The CAR Group. “Kandi’s experience in our industry building and scaling an organization with extremely high customer-service and employee experience standards made her stand out. But it was her personal commitment to learning the businesses she’s been involved in, tracking an individual customer transaction through to the HR practices that enable it to happen, that proved she was different. Combined with her growth mindset and ability to get leaders ‘on side’ and willing to see her and her team as a business partner, not an obstacle, I felt totally confident inviting her to join our leadership team.”
“Working on this search with Ayla and Kristen at TCG was educational and enjoyable,” Mr. Conant said. “They invested a lot of time up front understanding me and my team and our business to be clear about what kind of leader would be additive in our organization. Their filtering process is transparent and highly-interactive, and they were open and responsive to feedback throughout the search to help further refine our ideal candidate profile. As a CEO, their personalities and approach were a source of support for me and one less thing I had to worry about. I look forward to working with them in the future.”
Accomplished People and Transformation Leader
Ms. Gongora is an accomplished people and transformation leader, bringing decades of experience driving organizational excellence, culture, and growth to her new role as CHRO at The CAR Group. Known for her visionary approach to aligning people strategy with business transformation, she has led award-winning initiatives spanning enterprise change, leadership development, talent systems, and operational effectiveness at top companies like Goodway Group, Park Place Dealerships, and Coca-Cola.
Related: The Christopher Group Recruits Head of HR for Blistex
In her new role, Ms. Gongora will serve as a key member of the executive leadership team, working in close partnership with the CEO, president, and CFO to elevate and modernize the HR function across the organization. Charged with leading and empowering an HR team, she will be responsible for conducting a comprehensive assessment of the current structure, defining roles, and driving a strategic shift from transactional operations to a forward-looking, business-aligned HR model with people development at its core. This includes revamping foundational processes to create a more agile, scalable HR infrastructure that can support the company’s ongoing growth and evolution.
In her highly visible role, Ms. Gongora will be tasked with building robust talent management and leadership development frameworks, refining performance management practices, and strengthening talent acquisition strategies to meet future workforce needs and spearheading enhancements to the total rewards program, ensuring competitive and compelling offerings that attract and retain top talent.
The CAR Group is a nationally recognized, privately owned group of 20 retail automotive dealerships doing business under the Norm Reeves brand with a strong presence in Southern California, Texas, and Florida.
Founded in 1998, The Christopher Group has expanded its offerings beyond traditional executive search to deliver agile HR business solutions, including executive search, interim HR leaders, fractional CHROs, and HR advisory & consulting. The firm serves large corporations, middle-market companies, private equity firms, family-owned enterprises, and closely-held businesses, providing comprehensive solutions to their human capital challenges.
TCG boasts a team of seasoned HR executives with backgrounds from companies, including Pepsi, GE, Merrill Lynch, Novartis, Dell, Microsoft, and Citibank. The firm’s leadership team, who acquired the firm in April 2023, is comprised of managing partners Nate Schiffer, Pam Noble, Ms. Maloney, and Tobin Anselmi.
Related: The Christopher Group Recruits Chief People Officer for Ideal Image
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
