Volkswagen hunts head marketer
Volkswagen is seeking a UK marketing chief following the promotion of Chris Craft to the new role of director of group service.
A spokeswoman for VW says the company has not yet found a replacement for him. Insiders have suggested Audi head of marketing Rawden Glover as a possible replacement.
Craft has been in charge of VW marketing since 1998, when he moved across from head of dealer operations.
In his new position Craft partly replaces David Carter who, retired last month. Craft will be in charge of all marques within the VW Group – including Audi and Skoda – and backroom services, such as warranty and spare parts. He will report to managing director Robin Woolcock.
As head of VW’s marketing, Craft was in charge of an advertising spend of £35m and reported to VW director Paul Willis. The day-to-day advertising and the company’s relationship with its agencies, BMP DDB and Mediacom, is overseen by communications manager Alan Doyle, who joined the car company in October from Yellow Pages.
During Craft’s time as head of marketing, the VW Group moved its £70m media buying business from BBJ Media into Mediacom.
According to recent figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, VW has experienced a 2.83 per cent rise in sales from 11,834 to 12,169 this year, compared with January last year.
