BMW establishes brand division

BMW Group is forming a new corporate and brand development division as part of a restructure following a strategic review of the business. The changes also see the company’s finance chief Stefan Krause become sales and marketing director for the group.

The new brand division will be headed by Friedrich Eichiner, who was previously director of corporate planning. BMW says its creation “underlines the importance of corporate planning, brand management and strategic implementation”, although the company will not specify the division’s exact remit or how closely it will work with the marketing department.

The unit will also be responsible for the company’s motorcycle division BMW Motorrad, as well as its financial services and IT operations. It is thought it will operate across the group’s three brands/ BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce.

Krause, who was the group’s finance director, is swapping jobs with sales and marketing head Michael Ganal as part of the realignment. A company spokesman says job swaps are not unusual at BMW and are “one of the keys to our success”.

BMW Group chairman Norbert Reithofer adds: “We want our executives to be global thinkers, highly skilled and able to apply their expertise in various areas throughout the group.”

Following the strategic review, BMW has ruled out buying a rival or creating a fourth brand in the immediate future.