Volvo picks global marketing chief

Volvo Car has promoted global sales director Gerry Keaney to oversee global marketing, sales and customer services for the Ford-owned car company.

Keaney, who was a former sales and marketing director and managing director of Volvo Car UK, will continue to be based at the company’s headquarters at Gothenburg in Sweden, where he has been based since last August (MW August 29, 2002).

He will replace Dieter Laxy, who is taking retirement. Laxy joined Volvo from BMW in 1999, after a brief term as head of marketing in the UK for both BMW and Rover, which was then part of BMW.

Laxy was responsible for overseeing Volvo’s integration into the Ford Premier Automotive Group, after the company bought the marque in 1999. He was also responsible for overseeing the appointment of Amsterdam-based MVBMS Fuel Europe as the company’s European advertising agency.

Keaney, who has been with Volvo for 13 years, becomes a member of the management board of Volvo and will report to Hans-Olav Olsson, who is the company’s president and chief executive.

At the end of last year Volvo promoted Simon Munn to sales and marketing director across Eire and the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands. He moved from the position of regional communications manager, responsible for marketing and advertising strategy (MW October 10, 2002).

Volvo’s most recent large-scale launch was its XC90 Sports Utility Vehicle, which went on sale last October.