Black Book Expands Senior Leadership Team with Industry Veteran Rene Abdalah
In this role, Abdalah will work closely with vehicle manufacturers, captive finance companies, lenders and other automotive-related companies in the United States and Canada to deliver industry-leading data and analytical solutions.

In this role, Abdalah will work closely with vehicle manufacturers, captive finance companies, lenders and other automotive-related companies in the United States and Canada to deliver industry-leading data and analytical solutions.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Black Book, a leading provider of automotive vehicle pricing and analytical services, announces the appointment of Rene Abdalah to the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Business Development. In this role, Abdalah will work closely with vehicle manufacturers, captive finance companies, lenders and other automotive-related companies in the United States and Canada to deliver industry-leading data and analytical solutions.
With the addition of Rene and his broad automotive and automotive finance background, along with his keen understanding of the collateral, risk modeling, and residual forecasting components of our industry, Black Book reaffirms our commitment to our customer base to deliver the most comprehensive data sets, created and powered by the industry’s leading team.
“Our industry continues to be more data and analytics driven,” said Jared Kalfus, Black Book Executive Vice President, Revenue. “With the addition of Rene and his broad automotive and automotive finance background, along with his keen understanding of the collateral, risk modeling, and residual forecasting components of our industry, Black Book reaffirms our commitment to our customer base to deliver the most comprehensive data sets, created and powered by the industry’s leading team.”
Abdalah comes to Black Book with a deep understanding of automotive price forecasting and the sophisticated modeling techniques employed by Black Book’s data science team. He joins Black Book from GM Financial, where he served as Vice President of Economic Risk and Residual Management. Prior to GM, Abdalah spent 16 years leading RVI Group’s passenger vehicle and analytical services business units.
“I’ve gotten to know the team at Black Book very well and am impressed by their passion for customers and our industry,” said Rene Abdalah. “Their advancements in data, analytics and market analysis are best in class and I’m honored to join this iconic institution.”
Originally posted on F&I and Showroom
More Awards

Voting Now Open for 2026 Dealers' Choice Awards
Voting is now open for the 22nd annual Dealers’ Choice Awards, a program designed to recognize auto dealers’ favorite vendors, suppliers, and finance partners.
Read More →
IIHS Adds to Safety Rankings
A midsize Hyundai and a small Toyota have joined the nonprofit's 2026 Top Safety Pick+ award rankings, thanks to improved crash test results and crash-prevention measures.
Read More →
Time Dealer of the Year Named
David Wright of Iowa rises to the top of nearly 50 nominees across the country on his record of business growth and contributions to his dealership’s community.
Read More →

Automakers Take Home Safety Awards
Tweaks to models put them over the top while others miss out due to substandard crash test results
Read More →
Child Seats Easier to Install in Some Cars
Annual testing scored 2025 models on ease across five categories.
Read More →
5 Industry Legends Join F&I Hall of Fame
The second annual induction recognized luminaries who helped advance F&I training, production, compliance, agency-building and product development.
Read More →
Kia Honored for Auto Designs
Five awards recognize concept vehicles, including ‘transformer’-type model.
Read More →
Winners of 2025 Dealers’ Choice Awards Announced
Now in its 21st year, the program was designed to recognize the industry’s best vendors, suppliers, and finance partners by asking dealers and dealership personnel to complete a 32-category online survey.
Read More →
2025 Dealers' Choice Awards Voting Closed
The 2025 online survey will remain open until 11:59 PM on Monday, May 19.
Read More →