MINI USA ANNOUNCES EXECUTIVE CHANGES.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – October 25, 2024 – MINI USA announced today that Kate Alini will assume the role of Department Manager of Marketing, Product, and Strategy for MINI USA effective January 1, 2025. In this role Alini will lead all aspects of marketing, product planning, and strategy development for the MINI brand in the United States, reporting to Mike Peyton, Vice President, MINI of the Americas. Alini succeeds Patrick McKenna who is retiring following a storied 27-year career with the company.

“We’re happy to welcome Kate back to MINI as the new head of marketing product planning and strategy for MINI USA, and we look forward to her experienced leadership in marketing and product planning to further grow and strengthen the MINI brand in the U.S.” said Mike Peyton, Vice President, MINI of the Americas. “We’re also incredibly thankful to Patrick for his leadership, dedication, and lasting contributions to the company over his 27-year tenure, and we wish him well in his retirement.”

Alini joins MINI USA from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars North America, where she served as Head of Client and Brand Experience since 2020. In this capacity she led all aspects of marketing, as well as customer relations, CRM, and data analytics for the ultra-luxury brand. Prior to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars North America, Alini was nine years with BMW of North America, LLC where she led product planning for the brand’s luxury model portfolio. Her tenure also included managing social media and emerging technologies for BMW marketing. Alini was previously at MINI USA from 2004 as Marketing Communications Manager, making her latest promotion a homecoming back to the MINI business. Prior to the BMW Group, Alini spent nine years in strategic account management at several marketing and digital agencies.

Following work at multiple advertising agencies, McKenna followed his dream to work for the BMW Group back in 1997 as the BMW Media Communications Manager. In 2002, he became the Department Head for BMW Marketing Communications and later added Events and CRM to his responsibility. From that time period, McKenna is most proud of his role in creating the iconic BMW Films series and its induction into the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. In 2010 McKenna joined MINI USA to lead product planning and consumer events.  He then transitioned to head up marketing in 2017, a leadership role that was later expanded to encompass all product planning, experiential marketing, and strategy functions for the brand in the U.S. In this role, a key achievement for McKenna was managing the launch of an industry-leading, end-to-end e-commerce platform for the brand.

About MINI in the US

MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC, located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and includes the marketing and sales organizations for the MINI brand. The authorized MINI USA dealer organization is represented by a network of 105 MINI full passenger car sales and service dealers located throughout the US.  MINI USA began selling vehicles in the U.S. in 2002 with the introduction of the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtops. Since then, the MINI Brand in the U.S. has grown to encompass a model range of five unique vehicles.

Journalist notes: Media information about MINI and its products is available to journalists on-line at www.miniusanews.com.

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