Martina Biene is leaving Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) to take up a board position at Škoda Auto, where she will become board member for sales and marketing from October 1.
Biene became the first woman to serve as chair and MD of VWGA when she was appointed in November 2022.
“It has been an honour to lead and work with such a great and resilient team,” Biene said, reflecting on her departure.
“Despite the challenges in both the automotive industry and our company, we have achieved many milestones. The early launch of the Tengo ranks highly among these achievements for what it will bring to Plant Kariega’s production and our SUV sales offensive plans in South Africa and other markets on the African continent.”
It was Biene’s second stint with VWGA, having previously served as head of the Volkswagen passenger brand from October 2018 to August 2020. During that tenure, she oversaw the Volkswagen brand achieving a record market share of 20.4% in 2019.
Under Biene’s leadership, Volkswagen’s manufacturing plant in Kariega recorded its highest production volume in 2024, producing 167,084 units. The company also announced a R4bn investment that year to produce a third model, the Tengo, at the plant.
The Tengo was officially unveiled this week as part of Volkswagen’s 75th anniversary celebrations in South Africa.
Biene also served as president of the Association of African Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) from October 2023 until July 2026.
She will be succeeded at VWGA by Christiane Zorn, now vice-president region overseas at Porsche AG. Zorn has 20 years of experience in the automotive industry.
She joined BMW in 2013 after several years as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group and held roles in Munich and Beijing. In March 2020 she moved to Audi, where she held various management positions, including head of sales for China, head of product marketing and head of product strategy.
Zorn will officially take over at VWGA on October 1, subject to the completion of the necessary regulatory and statutory processes.
“I am excited to join Volkswagen Group Africa and play my part in driving the future of Volkswagen in Africa with the team,” she said.
TimesLIVE
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