Vauxhall recruits Mercedes Benz man as new sales and marketing director

Vauxhall has lured Simon Oldfield, who is currently UK MD for customer service at Mercedes Benz, as its new sales and marketing director as it continues to restructure its marketing division.

Oldfield’s appointment at Vauxhall, that will be effective from 1 March, is part of an ongoing restructure within the marketing department to address a recent slide in market share.

Over recent months, marketing director Peter Hope has switched to lead customer experience, while Chris Hawkin, previously of Audi and Skoda, was appointed director of brand back in December.

Vauxhall’s brand has lost some of its allure in recent years. According to YouGov BrandIndex it sits at 15 in a list of 34 car marques in terms of its overall index performance (a measure of a range of metrics including quality, value and impress). In comparison, Mercedes Benz currently sits second with an index score of 24.4; more than double Vauxhall’s total of 11.1

To counter this, as well as the ongoing restructure, Vauxhall has also refreshed iconic brands such as the Corsa with multimillion pound campaigns.

Vauxhall’s chairman Tim Tozer insists the appointment will bring momentum to its marketing team.

“Simon’s background and experience will bring new momentum and perspective to the business in the newly created role of sales and marketing director, a role pivotal to the success of Vauxhall’s future journey,” he said.

 

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