BMW Group announces organization changes in Latin America.

Mexico City, July 18, 2018. From the previous announcement made on June 04, BMW Group Latin America will make some changes to its organization for better integrating and strengthening the region which now includes BMW Group Brazil. The following changes are effective from July 1, 2018.

Maru Escobedo, a renowned executive at BMW Group with an important career in the organization had until now been the Sales, Planning and Operations Director, now she takes office as CEO for BMW Group Mexico and keeps the sales management for the country and reports directly to Dr. Alexander W. Wehr.

With this announce, each of the Latin American markets will have its own CEO as follows: Helder Boavida, CEO for BMW Group Brazil; Rolf Epp, CEO for BMW Group Argentina; Antonio Antela, CEO for importer markets and Maru Escobedo, CEO for BMW Group Mexico; All of them will directly report to Dr. Alexander W. Wehr, who remains as President and CEO for BMW Group Latin America.

On his turn, Ricardo Humphrey, who had been director for MINI in Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean and Argentina now joins the operation of MINI in Brazil since he will be in charge of it as Director of MINI Latin America. Julian Mallea remains Director of MINI for Brazil and reports to Ricardo.

Further changes will become effective from September 1, 2018 for the following positions:

Alexander Luhn will assume the Planning and Operations Direction for BMW Latin America reporting to Dr. Alexander W. Wehr. So far, he has been Regional Sales Manager for BMW Latin America and Brazil from the headquarters in Munich.

Finally, Omar Afzali assumes the Product and Price Management for all the region. Thomas Kramer had been in this position and now he will be in charge of the Customer Relation Management for BMW Latin America. Omar Afzali will directly report to Hernando Carvajal, Marketing Director for BMW Group Latin America.

As it was mentioned one month ago when BMW Group Brazil was incorporated to the operations of the region, these adjustments are aimed to standardize all areas achieving a stronger and more strategic activity and to meet the needs of Latin American markets promptly supporting the main purpose of the company in terms of customer service and fostering higher production in plants, and consequently, becoming a more competitive company.

“These changes are clearly focused on seeking a more integrated and efficient organization allowing us working in all areas with better defined and aligned purposes. During the next months, we will continue not only announcing organization changes but also detecting areas where our operations may be standardized to increase our market share in the whole region and for such share to be more agile and flexible in an increasingly competitive market. Finally we will take advantage of all our potential in both plants in Brazil and the one that will soon begin operating in Mexico in order to be part in different economic agreements in America,” said Dr. Alexander W. Wehr.

Profiles

• Maru Escobedo has been part of BMW Group for 19 years. She was granted the Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, and has a major in Economics for Importer and Exporter Markets from ITAM, in Mexico City and a Marketing diploma from the Technological Institute of University Studies of Monterrey. She has been director of MINI Mexico and has so far been Sales, Planning and Operations Director for BMW.

   

• Ricardo Humphrey joined MINI Mexico in 2015 as Director for the brand in the country. He has worked in the motor vehicle industry for 10 years in sales, marketing and new business development areas. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City.

   

• Alexander Luhn is Mechanical Engineer from the Applied Science University in Germany. He joined BMW in 2003 as Systems and Process Manager. Then, in 2008, he became Product Cost Manager for MINI. In 2013 he was transferred to Brazil as General Project Manager and from 2017 to this date he was Regional Manager for Latin America and Brazil from BMW Group in Germany.

   

• Omar Afzali graduated in International Business from the Applied Science University in Germany. He entered BMW in 2008 as Sales Planning and Comptroller for China. In 2012, from Munich he was in charge of managing and approving BMW I business; in 2012 he was transferred to Spain and from 2016 to this date he worked as Head of Product for M Performance models in Munich.