Volkswagen and SEAT Announce Key Leadership Changes in Finance and IT Departments

Volkswagen and SEAT Announce Key Leadership Changes in Finance and IT Departments

(IN BRIEF) Volkswagen Passenger Cars and SEAT S.A. have announced a leadership change in their finance departments, effective October 1, 2024. Patrik Andreas Mayer will become SEAT’s new Chief Financial and IT Officer, while David Powels, currently in that role, will take over as Chief Financial Officer for Volkswagen Passenger Cars. Both executives bring extensive experience within the Volkswagen Group, and their appointments are expected to strengthen financial performance and operational synergies within their respective brands.

(PRESS RELEASE) WOLFSBURG, 10-Sep-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — Volkswagen Passenger Cars and SEAT S.A. are set for significant leadership changes in their finance departments, effective October 1, 2024. Patrik Andreas Mayer will assume the role of Chief Financial and IT Officer at SEAT S.A., succeeding David Powels, who will step into Mayer’s previous position as Chief Financial Officer for the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand.

Thomas Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, praised Mayer for his contributions to the Volkswagen brand’s performance program, while expressing confidence in Powels’ ability to continue driving cost-efficiency and leveraging synergies within the Volkswagen brand group.

Wayne Griffiths, CEO of SEAT and CUPRA, acknowledged Powels’ instrumental role in SEAT S.A.’s return to profitability, noting that his leadership was crucial to the company’s financial transformation. Griffiths welcomed Mayer to the SEAT and CUPRA teams, emphasizing the importance of experienced leaders in guiding the company toward sustainable profitability.

Both executives bring extensive experience within the Volkswagen Group. Mayer has held leadership roles across various markets, including Russia, America, and Germany, while Powels has led operations in South Africa, Brazil, and China, contributing to the global success of the Volkswagen and SEAT brands.

This leadership transition underscores the commitment of both Volkswagen and SEAT to maintaining strong financial performance and advancing digital innovation across their respective operations.

Patrik Andreas Mayer comes from Heilbronn, where he was born in 1970. After graduating from high school in 1990, Mayer studied mechanical and industrial engineering at KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), Coventry University and the École Nationale Supérieure d’Arts et Métiers in Paris.

He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Henley Management College in the UK.

He began his professional career at the Volkswagen Group in 1997 as an international trainee in Wolfsburg. In 2001, he became Head of Investment Controlling at the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand.

This was followed by numerous management positions within the Group, including Head of Business Development, Director of Finance at Volkswagen Navarra and Executive Vice President for Finance and Information Technology at Volkswagen Group of America in Chattanooga.

In 2014, he was given responsibility for Controlling at the components plant in Kassel before being appointed to the Board of Management of Volkswagen Group Russia as Chief Financial Officer in 2016.
Since October 1, 2022, he has been a member of the Volkswagen brand Board of Management with responsibility for Finance.

David Powels graduated in Commerce from Nelson Mandela University of Port Elizabeth and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in South Africa. He also completed a postgraduate degree in Management Development at the University of Cape Town. Powels started his career at Volkswagen South Africa in 1989. After working in Germany and Brazil, he was appointed CEO of Volkswagen Group South Africa in 2007.

He then became President and CEO of Volkswagen Brazil and the Volkswagen Region South America. Since the end of 2017, he has held the position of First Vice-President and Executive Vice-President for Commercial at SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Co. in China, and since September 1, 2021, Powels has been Board Member for Finance and IT at SEAT S.A.

Media Contacts:

Maleen Bösenberg
Volkswagen Communications
Spokesperson Human Resources
Tel. +49 (0) 152 29122870

maleen.boesenberg@volkswagen.de
Christopher Hauss
Corporate Communications
Head of Strategy & Finance Communications
Tel. +49 (0) 171 8769225
christopher.hauss@volkswagen.de

SOURCE: Volkswagen AG