Speaking to employees at Herndon headquarters of Volkswagen of America Inc., (VWoA), Dr. Herbert Diess, CEO, Volkswagen Passenger Brand and Hinrich J. Woebcken, CEO of the North American Region, laid out the strategy for the newly established Volkswagen North American Region (NAR).
“The establishment of the North American Region provides the U.S., Mexico and Canada more freedom and more responsibility than ever before,” said Dr. Diess. “Strengthening the region also means strengthening leadership and I am confident that Hinrich Woebcken is the right man for the job.
Additionally, Dr. Diess also confirmed that Woebcken will also assume the role as the President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
With creation of the NAR, Volkswagen Group is strengthening its activities in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The aim of the NAR is to create the ability to react better to customer and market demands unique to the region. The NAR will be responsible for aligning all regional activities of the brand including sales and marketing, product development, procurement and production. The structure allows for closer proximity to the markets and establishes more autonomy, responsibility, empowerment and collaboration than ever before.
“With the new structure of the North American Region we will be empowered to make the decisions to bring the vehicles that consumers in the market are demanding,” said Woebcken. “I look foreard to leading the team in the U.S., Mexico and Canada and make sure we deliver these markets the right products, with the right content at the right time.
The NAR, under the leadership of Woebcken, will operate with a board structure. The makeup of the VW NAR Board of Management includes the functions of Sales & Marketing, Finance, Production, Engineering, Human Resources and Purchasing. Additionally, new functions apart from the board are being added to help align the organization. The NAR is currently operational and has actively engaged in project development.
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