Martorell, 25/01/2024 – Sven Schuwirth has been appointed SEAT S.A.’s new Executive Vice-President for Sales & Marketing, effective February 1, 2024. As a natural evolution within his career at SEAT S.A., he will join the company’s Board of Management, reporting directly to Wayne Griffiths, and will replace Kai Vogler, who takes over new responsibilities at Volkswagen Financial Services Overseas AG.
Sven Schuwirth joined SEAT S.A. in June 2021 as Head of Digital Business and Product Strategy and was fundamental in developing CUPRA’s product strategy and leading the brand’s expansion into new markets, including Australia, following his appointment as CUPRA’s COO in March 2023.
“In the disruption of the automotive industry, being able to count on visionary leaders like Sven Schuwirth will be increasingly essential on our journey of transformation. Sven has done a great job during the last two years in our company and has integrated perfectly with the team and culture of the company. He shares our clear vision for the future of both our brands, SEAT and CUPRA, and is totally committed to realising our company’s vision,” said Wayne Griffiths, CEO of SEAT and CUPRA.
Schuwirth’s main challenges in his new role will include contributing to the company’s transformation towards electrification, managing the market launches of upcoming models, including the CUPRA Tavascan, CUPRA Terramar and CUPRA Raval, and further developing the SEAT brand.
Thanking the outgoing Executive Vice-President for Sales & Marketing, Wayne Griffiths continued, “I would like to express my gratitude to Kai Vogler, whose personal contribution has helped double the sales performance of the company and successfully establish CUPRA as one of Europe’s fastest growing car brands in a challenging environment. I´ve really enjoyed working with Kai and personally thank him for his support and trust during his assignment at SEAT S.A. I am convinced he will continue to do a great job in his future role as CEO of Volkswagen Financial Services Overseas AG.”
During Kai Vogler’s tenure, CUPRA’s sales have more than doubled and in 2023 the brand broke records with 230,700 deliveries. Aftersales results also increased by almost 40%, while SEAT S.A. reached a record market share in Europe.
Kai Vogler returns to Volkswagen Financial Services AG and will become the Chief Executive Officer of the newly established Volkswagen Financial Services Overseas AG, following the realignment of Volkswagen Financial Services AG (VWFS) and Volkswagen Bank GmbH, expected to be completed in mid-2024. Volkswagen Financial Services Overseas AG will act as the holding company for the non-European business of Volkswagen Financial Services AG and will cover 12 markets, including China, Brazil and Australia.
Leading the transformation of SEAT S.A.
Sven Schuwirth has more than 20 years of extensive experience in the automotive industry, spending most of his career at AUDI AG. In 2004, he was appointed Head of Brand Development and Corporate Identity. In his position as Head of Brand Strategy, he was responsible for product, portfolio, and communication strategy as of 2008.
From 2009 to 2016, Schuwirth was Head of Brand Development and Digitalisation. In 2019, he returned to AUDI AG, after a year at BMW AG, to take charge of the newly established division ‘Brand Audi, Digital Business and Customer Experience’.
