Mercedes Appoints New CEO of Russian Unit

Mercedes-Benz Cars has appointed new sales management in China, the U.S. and Russia, with veteran exec Holger Suffel put in charge of the company’s Russian unit, the Financial Post reports.

Suffel started at the former Daimler-Benz AG in 1981 and held various management positions within the company in Product Marketing, Aftersales and Sales of Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles, Mercedes-Benz Vans and the Daimler subsidiary EvoBus. Most recently, he was in charge of Global Services and Parts Operations at Daimler AG.

Jan Madeja (51), who has been CEO of Mercedes-Benz Russia and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars Sales in Russia since 2012, takes over as head of Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co., Ltd in China on September 1, 2019. Madeja has been in the company for over 20 years. After various positions in Finance and Controlling, he took over as Head of Mercedes-Benz in Poland in 2007.

Nicholas Speeks (60), previously Head of sales in China, will be responsible for sales of Mercedes-Benz Cars in the NAFTA region (USA, Canada, Mexico) and becomes CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA LLC. on September 1, 2019, the German carmaker said.

Speeks has many years of experience in the sales departments of passenger cars and commercial vehicles and has been working for the company in Japan, Dubai, Vietnam and Germany. Speeks follows Dietmar Exler (51), who leaves the company at his own request.

“Nicholas Speeks has done an outstanding job in the last six years, and I highly value his great contribution to our success in China. I believe that Jan Madeja, as the new CEO of Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Company, will continue the success story of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars in China,” said Hubertus Troska, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG Greater China.

Mercedes opened its first assembly plant in Russia earlier this year, part of a $281 million investment it says will create 1,000 jobs. The company’s CEO Dieter Zetsche said that the Moscow-area plant will produce Mercedes sedans and SUVs for the local market, and is part of a strategy to move production closer to customers.