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• VW SA changes at the helm
• MD heading to VW Brasil
• Thomas Schäfer new VW SA MD
PORT ELIZABETH, Eastern Cape - David Powels, VWSA's managing director is moving to Brazil to head up the company there. Thomas Schafer, will be the new VWSA MD in Powel's place. Schafer has been working for the Volkswagen Group (VWAG) since 2012 as head of group production (foreign plants).
Powels joined VWSA in 1989 in the finance division and it was not long before he made his mark and became export manager traveling the world looking for Group companies who would accept components from South Africa.
He returned to the finance division in 1993 to head the controlling division, this was followed by a foreign assignment in finance at both Volkswagen AG and Audi AG. In 1998, he was back again as finance director before becoming finance and corporate strategy vice-president at Volkswagen do Brasil in 2002. He returned once more to SA as managing director.
During Powels’ tenure as MD the company invested over R7-billion in plant, product and infrastructure. The factory was modernised and platforms rationalised with the introduction of the Polo and Polo Vivo in 2010.
Powels moves to one VWAG’s biggest operations outside of Germany, a country with a population of over 200-million people, with a car market of 3.5-million cars a year with VW being the biggest manufacturer in Brazil producing over 700 000 cars a year.
Volkswagen do Brasil also has the largest dealer network, with more than 600 dealerships in the country. Established in in 1953 Volkswagen do Brasil, has over 22,000 employees in its four plants - São Bernardo do Campo (SP), Taubaté (SP), São José dos Pinhais (PR) and São Carlos (SP).
The appointments are effective from February 2015.
• MD heading to VW Brasil
• Thomas Schäfer new VW SA MD
PORT ELIZABETH, Eastern Cape - David Powels, VWSA's managing director is moving to Brazil to head up the company there. Thomas Schafer, will be the new VWSA MD in Powel's place. Schafer has been working for the Volkswagen Group (VWAG) since 2012 as head of group production (foreign plants).
Powels joined VWSA in 1989 in the finance division and it was not long before he made his mark and became export manager traveling the world looking for Group companies who would accept components from South Africa.
He returned to the finance division in 1993 to head the controlling division, this was followed by a foreign assignment in finance at both Volkswagen AG and Audi AG. In 1998, he was back again as finance director before becoming finance and corporate strategy vice-president at Volkswagen do Brasil in 2002. He returned once more to SA as managing director.
During Powels’ tenure as MD the company invested over R7-billion in plant, product and infrastructure. The factory was modernised and platforms rationalised with the introduction of the Polo and Polo Vivo in 2010.
Powels moves to one VWAG’s biggest operations outside of Germany, a country with a population of over 200-million people, with a car market of 3.5-million cars a year with VW being the biggest manufacturer in Brazil producing over 700 000 cars a year.
Volkswagen do Brasil also has the largest dealer network, with more than 600 dealerships in the country. Established in in 1953 Volkswagen do Brasil, has over 22,000 employees in its four plants - São Bernardo do Campo (SP), Taubaté (SP), São José dos Pinhais (PR) and São Carlos (SP).
The appointments are effective from February 2015.
