Volkswagen has appointed Google’s global senior managing director of brand marketing, Nelly Kennedy, as its new chief marketing officer.
The new CMO will be tasked with turning the car manufacturer “back into a true people’s brand” and will be responsible for Volkswagen’s global marketing.
Kennedy will leave Google and join the car business at the beginning of next year, taking over from Jochen Sengpiehl who will become the CMO for Volkswagen Group China.
Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer, has claimed that the team is “turning Volkswagen back into a love brand – approachable, customer-centric and authentic”, with marketing playing “a key role”.
“As the new chief marketing officer Nelly Kennedy, together with her team, will help turn Volkswagen back into a true people’s brand,” Schäfer added.
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The brand’s marketing and sales board member, Imelda Labbé, has also described Kennedy as a “digital and marketing expert with decades-long international experience” who will “systematically forge ahead” with marketing activities for the brand.
Labbé has also claimed that Kennedy will make a “decisive contribution” to turning Volkswagen “back into a genuine love brand.”
Prior to working on global brand campaigns for Google, Kennedy managed the digital transformation strategy at Condé Nast International and also worked for Adidas for six years beforehand. She reportedly led global digital transformation strategy for the sports brand also.
