Porsche AG announced today the appointment of Dr. Kjell Gruner as President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America Inc. (PCNA). Dr. Gruner, 53, currently Chief Marketing Officer and Global Vice President Marketing, will succeed Klaus Zellmer. After nearly five years as President and CEO of PCNA, Zellmer will take up the role of member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand. His responsibility will be Sales, Marketing and After Sales in Wolfsburg.
“We sincerely thank Klaus for the outstanding performance he’s led in the North American market. He achieved successive years of growth. Furthermore were the innovative programs to support customers and dealers his initiative. We wish him every success in his new role,” said Detlev von Platen, Member of the Executive Board for Sales and Marketing of Porsche AG.
“With Kjell Gruner’s planned appointment, Porsche Cars North America could not be in better hands. As head of marketing, he has for years made a notable contribution to shaping the global development of the Porsche brand. Recently, he was responsible for the exceptional launch of the Porsche Taycan. As a long-time Porsche colleague and brand professional, his experience will be extremely valuable for the positive development of the Porsche brand in North America.”
Studies
Dr. Gruner studied in Germany and the U.S. and moved to Boston Consulting Group before joining Porsche in 1999. He worked within several departments over the years. In 2004, he joined Daimler AG, most recently as Director Strategy Mercedes-Benz Cars. He returned to Porsche AG in 2010 as Chief Marketing Officer. Since then has contributed significantly to the ongoing development of the global Porsche brand. He has also been Managing Director at Porsche Smart Mobility GmbH.
Dr. Gruner will start his new role with PCNA in Atlanta on Nov. 1, 2020. In the interim, responsibility for managing day-to-day operations of PCNA will be shared between its CFO, Thierry Kartochian and its COO, Joe Lawrence.
Edited Porsche factory press release.
Pictures courtesy Porsche AG
