OWL Automotive Consulting is proud to announce that Founder and CEO Sally Lopez has been named the 2026 AutoTech CEO of the Year in the 7th Annual AutoTech Breakthrough Awards.
The AutoTech Breakthrough Awards are an international awards program recognizing innovation, leadership, and achievement across the automotive and transportation technology industries. The program honors companies, technologies, and industry leaders helping shape the future of automotive technology.
For Lopez, whose career spans more than 38 years in retail automotive, technology, accounting, and dealership operations, the recognition represents a significant milestone in a career dedicated to helping dealerships navigate change, solve complex challenges, and operate more effectively.
Who Is Sally Lopez, 2026 AutoTech CEO of the Year?
Sally Lopez is the Founder, CEO, and sole owner of OWL Automotive Consulting, a nationwide consulting and managed IT services firm dedicated to retail automotive dealerships.Before founding OWL, Lopez served as Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Information Technology at Penske Automotive Group, one of the world's largest automotive retailers.
Her career has spanned dealership accounting, operations, information technology, and executive leadership, giving her a firsthand understanding of how technology decisions affect every department of a dealership.
Throughout her career, Lopez has been involved in more than 200 dealership acquisitions and 300 DMS conversions, along with complex technology modernization initiatives.
That experience helped shape the philosophy behind OWL: dealerships deserve guidance from professionals who understand both the technology and the business behind it.
Building OWL Around the Realities of Retail Automotive
Founded in 2018, OWL Automotive Consulting was built around a vision to create a different kind of dealership consulting partner.
Rather than offering predetermined solutions or approaching dealership challenges from a single technical perspective, OWL brings together experienced automotive professionals who understand the demands of running a dealership.
Today, OWL supports dealerships and dealer groups nationwide through services including:
- Managed IT Services and Co-Managed IT
- Cybersecurity and Compliance
- DMS Consulting, Conversions, and Project Management
- IT Project Management
- Mergers & Acquisitions Support
- Finance, Accounting, and Dealership Operations Consulting
OWL's vendor-agnostic approach allows the company to recommend solutions based on a dealership's actual needs, existing systems, business objectives, and operational priorities.
Whether supporting a DMS conversion, dealership acquisition, cybersecurity initiative, or ongoing technology operations, OWL works alongside dealership teams to help manage the details, coordinate the work, and move projects forward.
A Leadership Milestone for OWL Automotive Consulting
The 2026 AutoTech CEO of the Year award follows another significant milestone for Lopez and OWL.
In June 2026, following the retirement of co-founder Tom Olney, Lopez became the company's sole owner, making OWL a 100% woman-owned automotive consulting and managed IT services organization.
Under her leadership, OWL has continued to expand its capabilities, bringing together technology, cybersecurity, dealership operations, finance, accounting, and professional services expertise.
Despite that growth, the company's philosophy remains rooted in the principles that guided its founding: understand the dealership, bring the right expertise to the table, and build lasting partnerships.
Recognizing the People Behind the Technology
While the AutoTech CEO of the Year award recognizes individual leadership, Lopez has consistently emphasized the importance of the people behind OWL's success.
OWL's team brings firsthand experience from automotive dealerships, major dealer groups, technology providers, and operational leadership roles.
That depth of knowledge helps OWL look beyond individual systems or technical challenges to understand how decisions affect dealership employees, processes, customers, and overall operations.
“Throughout my career, I've believed that technology should support the people running the business, not create additional challenges for them,” said Lopez. “When we started OWL, we wanted to build a culture of thinking without walls or borders. We brought together people with different areas of automotive expertise who could work across traditional boundaries, look at the bigger picture, and find the right solutions for our clients. That philosophy has shaped how we've grown and how our team works together today. I'm incredibly honored by this recognition, but what makes me most proud is the people behind OWL and the commitment they bring to our clients every day.”
As dealership technology continues to evolve, experienced leadership and coordinated support remain essential.
From cybersecurity and network infrastructure to DMS conversions and dealership acquisitions, technology decisions increasingly affect every area of dealership operations.
OWL's continued focus is on helping dealerships navigate those decisions with practical guidance, experienced professionals, and solutions designed around their individual needs.
What Are the AutoTech Breakthrough Awards?
The AutoTech Breakthrough Awards are an international recognition program honoring companies, products, technologies, and industry leaders contributing to innovation across the automotive and transportation technology sectors.
The program recognizes achievements in areas such as connected vehicles, automotive cybersecurity, electric vehicle technology, transportation solutions, and industry leadership.
The AutoTech CEO of the Year distinction recognizes executive leadership within the automotive technology industry.
Lopez was selected for this honor as part of the program's seventh annual awards in 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won AutoTech CEO of the Year in 2026?
Sally Lopez, Founder and CEO of OWL Automotive Consulting, was named the 2026 AutoTech CEO of the Year in the 7th Annual AutoTech Breakthrough Awards.
What company does Sally Lopez lead?
Sally Lopez leads OWL Automotive Consulting, a nationwide automotive dealership consulting and managed IT services company. She became the company's sole owner in June 2026.
What is Sally Lopez's automotive industry background?
Lopez has more than 38 years of experience in automotive retail, dealership technology, accounting, and operations. She previously served as CIO and Senior Vice President of Information Technology at Penske Automotive Group.
What does OWL Automotive Consulting do?
OWL Automotive Consulting provides vendor-agnostic consulting and managed IT services for retail automotive dealerships. Its services include cybersecurity, DMS consulting and conversions, project management, mergers and acquisitions, finance and accounting, and dealership operations support.
Looking Ahead
The 2026 AutoTech CEO of the Year recognition represents another milestone in Sally Lopez's career and OWL Automotive Consulting's continued growth.As OWL looks toward the future, the company's focus remains on the dealerships it serves, the people who support them, and the belief that technology works best when it is backed by real automotive experience.
Congratulations to Sally Lopez on this outstanding recognition!
Learn more about OWL Automotive Consulting and how our experienced team supports dealerships nationwide.