MEDIA ALERT: BMW GROUP U.S. CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS CHANGES

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – January 4, 2019… Nikolai Glies, Vice President, Corporate Communications, BMW Group Americas Region, has announced that Kenn Sparks, Head of U.S. Corporate Communications is retiring today, January 4, 2019, after a nearly 20 year career with the BMW Group.

As head of U.S. Corporate Communications, Kenn has been responsible for the corporate message of the BMW Group in the U.S., especially to business and financial media as well as responsible for internal and executive communications, and West Coast technology communications.  Kenn joined BMW Group in 1999 after a successful career as a journalist and filmmaker. That experience gave him the background and insight to lead and manage the increasingly complex and sensitive business of corporate communications.

“We have very much appreciated and relied on Kenn’s voice and ability to effectively and concisely get the BMW Group message across to the right people at the right time,” said Nikolai Glies. “His influence has been of great value in furthering the success of the BMW Group.  We thank him and wish him much happiness in his new life.”

Effective Monday, January 7, Mariella Kapsaskis will take over the role as Head of U.S. Corporate Communications for BMW of North America succeeding Kenn Sparks and reporting to Nikolai Glies.  In this role Mariella is responsible for the external and internal BMW Group corporate messages, including business and financial matters, internal and executive communications, corporate communications events, and West Coast technology and innovation communications.

Mariella's thirteen years of communications experience spans a variety of sectors from technology to fashion, luxury and automotive both on the agency side and in-house, working on the corporate communications teams at Lands’ End and later Mercedes-Benz USA.  She came to BMW of North America in 2015 to head up corporate and product communications for MINI USA.  Most recently Mariella served as the Executive and Internal Communications Manager for BMW where she served as executive speechwriter, working to elevate the voice of senior management both internally and externally and also further develop employee communications strategies in addition to managing the corporate communications events team.

As part of Mariella’s team, Corporate Communications Manager Phil DiIanni will assume the additional responsibility for U.S. Business Communications and Spokesperson reporting to Mariella effective Monday, January 7.  In this role, Phil is responsible for corporate and business media relations, marketing initiatives, cultural programs, mobility services topics and BMW Group business entities in the U.S. including BMW Group Financial Services, as well as PR guidance and governance and issues management. 

Phil joined BMW of North America in 2015, bringing with him nearly two decades of experience on both the agency and corporate sides of the business.  He previously worked for Ogilvy Public Relations where he developed media strategies and programs on behalf of Ford Motor Company to support the 50th anniversary of the Ford Mustang and Rubenstein Communications where he represented both BMW of North America and Rolls-Royce Motorcars North America. 

Nikolai Glies: “Both Mariella and Phil are well-established and respected members of the BMW Group Corporate Communications team in the U.S.  This is an exciting time to be part of the BMW Group but also a time of great change and it will require a strong team to deliver the BMW Group message to media and to our employees.  I am very pleased to appoint Mariella to her new role and have Phil assume additional responsibilities in the critical area of business communications.” 

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BMW Group In America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975.  Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003.  The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; technology offices in Silicon Valley and Chicago, and various other operations throughout the country.  BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and manufactures the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 346 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 153 BMW motorcycle retailers, 126 MINI passenger car dealers, and 37 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers.  BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

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Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com.