Volkswagen Group reshuffles sales leadership; Marco Schubert moves to North American Region

Volkswagen Group said it is filling additional key leadership positions as part of organizational changes across its automotive operations. Martin Sander will move from Volkswagen Passenger Cars to the Audi brand, Martin Jahn will move from Škoda to Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Martina Biene will move from Volkswagen Group Africa to Škoda, and Christiane Zorn will take over Volkswagen Group Africa. Marco Schubert, whom Sander replaces at Audi, is to become a member of the Volkswagen Group Extended Executive Committee for the North American Region. Most of the announced assignments take effect on October 1, 2026.

Marco Schubert, a native of Magdeburg, has more than 25 years of experience at the Volkswagen Group. He headed Audi's North Europe Region, worked as Managing Director in Sweden, and led sales for Asia and overseas markets at Škoda until 2018. He then spent three years as President of Audi's Sales Company in China, described by the group as the world's most important individual automotive market, before taking responsibility for Region Europe at Porsche. Since September 2024 he has been Audi's Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing and a member of the Extended Executive Committee with responsibility for Sales, Marketing and After Sales. The group credits Schubert with future-proofing its sales by realigning fleet management, improving after-sales performance, and strengthening collaboration between OEMs, importers and dealers.

Martin Sander, who holds an engineering degree, brings 25 years of automotive industry experience and has worked for Audi in leadership roles across North America and Europe, including Senior Vice President of Sales for Europe, Germany, Americas and the UK. He also served as Chairman of the Board of Management of Ford-Werke GmbH and General Manager of Ford Model e for Ford of Europe, and since July 2024 he has led Sales, Marketing and After Sales at Volkswagen Passenger Cars. Martin Jahn started at Volkswagen Group in 2006 as Škoda's Human Resources board member, later managed Group Sales at Volkswagen Group NSC in Russia, ran the group's international fleet business in Wolfsburg from 2010 to 2016, and in 2016 became Executive Vice President for Sales and Marketing and Managing Director of the Volkswagen brand at FAW-VW in Changchun, China. He has been Škoda's Sales and Marketing board member since March 2021.

Martina Biene joined Volkswagen in 2001 and held roles including Strategy and Sales of Premium Vehicles, Area Sales Manager for Belgium and Luxembourg, Head of Product Planning for Germany, Head of Global Product Marketing and Head of the Volkswagen Brand in South Africa. She later led the Small and Compact product line and has been Chair and Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Africa since September 2022. Christiane Zorn has worked in automotive for 20 years, including consulting at Boston Consulting Group, posts at BMW in Munich and Beijing starting in 2013, and Audi roles as Head of Sales China, Head of Product Marketing and Head of Product Strategy from March 2020; in May 2025 she joined Porsche AG as Vice President Region Overseas. Kjell Gruner has more than 25 years of management consulting and automotive experience, including at Boston Consulting Group, Porsche AG, DaimlerChrysler AG and Mercedes-Benz Cars, later served as President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America and then Chief Commercial Officer and President, Business Growth at Rivian Automotive, and since December 2024 has been President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America and CEO of the Volkswagen North American Region.