Chip Carlson

Chip Carlson

Chip Carlson has spent 30 years working where strategy meets the market. His career spans executive roles in the automotive aftermarket industry, commercial operations across Latin America, and cross-border business development connecting US headquarters with the realities of Mexico and regional markets throughout the Americas.

Before founding CIMA International, Chip served as VP of International Business Development, leading international commercial strategy for a major US aftermarket parts organization. He built and managed distribution networks, negotiated market entry in over 15 countries, and operated in both English and Spanish at the executive level throughout his career.

CIMA was founded in 2009 and relaunched in 2024 with a focused mandate: helping companies close the gap between what headquarters believes about its international markets and what those markets actually require. That gap is more common than executives admit, and more costly than they realize.

Chip speaks and writes on international business development, distribution strategy, and cross-border commercial operations. He is a recognized voice in the automotive aftermarket industry across North America and Latin America, having presented at major industry conferences including the International Aftermarket Summit, PAACE Automechanika Mexico, Foro del Futuro, and MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers.