William Knowles
COO Maroone USA
William Knowles joined Maroone USA in early 2017 to help launch an automotive retail organization. He serves as the Chief Operating Officer for the Mike Maroone Automotive Group, which was founded in May 2017 with the acquisition of four franchised automotive dealerships in Colorado. The group has grown to nine franchises and Mr. Knowles has responsibility for profitability, strategic initiatives, and talent acquisition/development of the retail operations. He has direct oversight for the shared services teams, including human resources, marketing, training, technology, and facilities. Mr. Knowles is a member of the executive committee responsible for all key decisions and works on every level of acquisitions – from sourcing to underwriting and execution.
Mr. Knowles is the Founder of WMKI Group LLC, a private investment firm rooted in value investing principles. WMKI Group is active in direct investments both in public and private markets.
Mr. Knowles has extensive board and advisory experience. He currently serves as a Board Member for PEAL Capital Group, a European-based private equity firm as well as for the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association. Prior involvement includes serving as an Advisor to Tred, a peer-to-peer pre-owned vehicle marketplace.
Prior to joining Maroone USA, Mr. Knowles was an Investment Specialist for Cascade, the investment firm for Bill Gates and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust. At Cascade, he worked extensively on public equity investments across numerous geographies and sectors as well as on special situations.
Mr. Knowles graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a BA in Economics and MA in Finance where he was the Captain of the NCAA Baseball Team. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation as well as an MBA from Duke University, The Fuqua School of Business. Mr. Knowles was recognized by Automotive News as a member of its 2019 class of 40 Under 40 for automotive retail.
