Ingolstadt, April 2, 2020 – Henrik Wenders is taking over responsibility for the realignment and global marketing of the brand with the Four Rings. As Senior Vice President Audi Brand he will be in charge of Brand Strategy, Customer Insights and Brand Communication as well as Digital, Experiential and Sports Marketing. Sven Schuwirth, who previously held the position, will be responsible for the area of 'Digital Experience and Business.'
With immediate effect, both of these central pillars are to be transformed on an organizational level into two independent areas.
Henrik Wenders, an experienced brand and marketing professional with a high level of expertise regarding the topics China, electric mobility and digitalization is strengthening Hildegard Wortmann's team. Most recently, he developed the Chinese start-up Byton into a global fully-electric premium brand within three years as Vice President of Marketing. He was also responsible for digital and vehicle product management as well as the development of an after sales & service and market entry strategy.
As a creative entrepreneur, he embodies a pioneering spirit, which he will use to bring the Four Rings further forward: "Based on its unique history with 'Vorsprung durch Technik,' the Audi brand offers an outstanding starting point in the age of electrification and digitalization. With fascinating technology, pioneering design and a comprehensive experience, our customers will witness and feel the future. We are not just creating mobility; we are making everyone who encounters the Audi brand part of this progress," says Henrik Wenders.
The 47-year-old manager began his professional career in 1992 as an advertising sales assistant. He also was consultant at the advertising agencies Grey Group Central Europa and Jung von Matt. He became Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales at the online marketing company 100world.media AG in 2001.
Henrik Wenders held various management positions at BMW AG from 2002 to 2016. He was most recently responsible as Vice President Product Management BMW for communication, sales and after sales in the electric car division. He moved to Byton Ltd. in 2016, first to Hong Kong and then to Shanghai. Henrik Wenders started in the AUDI AG Sales and Marketing Division in January 2020 and since April 1, 2020 he will take the position of Senior Vice President Audi Brand.
With its digital solutions, Audi is creating a comprehensive premium mobility experience that blends in seamlessly with the digital daily lives of customers. The company's 'Digital Experience and Business' area, headed by Sven Schuwirth, focuses primarily on premium services in and around the car, new mobility services, establishing a digital ecosystem and digital commerce.
"The development of new, digital business models is a clear priority for us. We are ensuring that the digital user experience is brand-specific," says Sven Schuwirth.
Schuwirth has over 20 years of industry experience in various fields in the area of sales and marketing. He built up the growth area of digitalization at Audi from the start and has thus shaped it considerably.
The new plant on a Greenfield site gives the partners the opportunity to create sustainable processes from the very beginning. Since the end of 2018, Audi's carbon program has pursued the goal of reducing emissions in the supply chain in collaboration with its partners. In CO2 workshops, Cromodora and Audi are therefore already exchanging ideas about measures to achieve sustainability. The aim is to use green power, secondary materials, minimized consumption of fresh water, and certification by the Aluminum Stewardship Initiative. Internal loop systems, too, are to be established, for example to re-use waste material in the plant's own production.
For both partners it is equally important to make production highly cost-efficient. Audi and Cromodora have therefore agreed transparent, optimized cost structures. Risks are shared by the two partners, for example if the costs of raw materials rise. Furthermore, the new plant will meet the high quality aims and standards of the premium manufacturer Audi.
"Through our strategic cooperation with Cromodora we are creating a new form of collaboration, from which both sides benefit," said Dr. Bernd Martens, Member of the Board of Management responsible for Procurement and IT.
"The new plant is also a textbook example of our ability to work economically and at the same time sustainably."
Ermanno Pedrini, CEO and Board Member, declares that Cromodora is honored about the agreement which fulfills the great work of the company's management and staff. Such an investment will further strengthen the partnership with Audi and it will allow to consolidate its efforts carried out in the existing facilities in recent years.
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The Audi Group, with its brands Audi, Ducati and Lamborghini, is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the premium segment. It is present in more than 100 markets worldwide and produces at 18 locations in 13 countries. 100 percent subsidiaries of AUDI AG include Audi Sport GmbH (Neckarsulm), Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy) and Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (Bologna, Italy).
In 2018, the Audi Group delivered to customers about 1.812 million automobiles of the Audi brand, 5,750 sports cars of the Lamborghini brand and 53,004 motorcycles of the Ducati brand. In the 2018 fiscal year, AUDI AG achieved total revenue of €59.2 billion and an operating profit before special items of €4.7 billion. At present, approximately 90,000 people work for the company all over the world, more than 60,000 of them in Germany. Audi focuses on sustainable products and technologies for the future of mobility.