Kia has announced that Marc Hedrich will join the European regional headquarters in the position of President and CEO, starting on 1 January 2024.

With this appointment, he will continue his career with Kia, having held senior management positions at the company since 2015, most recently as President of Kia France.

He takes over from Won Jeong Jeong, who has held the role for the last four years.

Marc Hedrich, incoming President and CEO of Kia Europe, said: “Going forward, the European team will continue its bold transformation process to become a sustainable mobility solutions provider, with a focus on our people, planet and profit. I’m excited to work with the strong European team to contribute to this goal.”

Won Jeong Jeong joined Kia Europe in 2020, and since then has led the business through its transformation into a regional headquarters.

Established under his leadership, Kia continued to become a sustainable mobility provider with a stronger focus on brand management and electrified solutions.

Mr Jeong commented: “The strong sales performance of the past years is not just a reflection of the European Kia team efforts, it also proves the quality and versatility of Kia products, brand and the popularity in Europe. I thank the Kia team for the great collaboration leading to our success.”

Marc Hedrich graduated from the European Business School before starting his career at Ford France in the 1990s. From there, he joined Škoda France as Marketing Director and later took the same position at Seat France.

In 2003, Hedrich moved to Toyota France, again as Marketing Director, and for the following twelve years he held various strategic positions for both Toyota France and Toyota Europe. In 2015, Hedrich was appointed Managing Director for Kia France before becoming President and CEO of the subsidiary in January 2021.