Rover is hit by senior exit

Nicki Darzinkas, group marketing and communications director of the Rover Group, has quit the company.

Darzinkas, who joined the troubled car company as a graduate over ten years ago, does not have a job to go to.

Working in the central organisation of the company, Darzinkas reported to Rover Group board director of global sales and marketing Henrik Heitmann. Darzinkas was in charge of implementing the company’s communications and advertising across Rover’s 120 markets.

She was a major influence behind last year’s hiring of WCRS to create a European advertising campaign for the R25 and R45.

However, in recent months Darzinkas’ role in the company has been diminished. At the time of leaving, she handled only the communications and marketing for Land Rover.

Rover Marque director John Parkinson is overseeing Darzinkas’ role while the company looks for a replacement.

Her departure adds to a long list of exits from the Rover Group marketing department in the last ten months.

Last year, the group lost board sales and marketing director Tom Purves, who went to the US as chairman and chief executive of BMW.

Less than a month later, Rover group marketing director Martin Runnacles left to join marketing company Qudos. Darzinkas had reported directly to Runnacles.

Dieter Laxy, drafted in by BMW in Germany to oversee sales and marketing of both BMW and Rover, resigned after just six weeks to work for Volvo as global marketing director.