Mercedes-Benz Korea names new CEO

New Mercedes-Benz Korea President & CEO Bjorn Hauber / Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Korea

By Nam Hyun-woo

Mercedes-Benz Korea said Friday it had named Mercedes-Benz Sweden and Denmark President Bjorn Hauber as its new CEO, replacing outgoing chief Dimitris Psillakis from Aug. 1.

Hauber joined Daimler AG in 1996 and was responsible for product strategy and network development in Germany and the South East Asia region. In 2007, he became responsible for sales and marketing for passenger cars in Beijing, China. In 2013, he extended his stay in China by taking on the responsibility for the van business unit as CEO. He held this position until 2016, when he assumed his current position.

Mercedes-Benz Korea said Hauber contributed to the strategy development and volume increase of Mercedes-Benz eco-friendly cars during his term in Northern Europe, which is also recognized in the brand's expansion in the global sustainable mobility market.

Outgoing Mercedes-Benz Korea CEO Dimitris Psillakis

“I am extremely pleased to have been appointed as the new President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Korea,” Hauber said in a statement. “I will make every effort to continue our success in the Korean market by providing Mercedes-Benz's unique value and the best customer experience.”

Outgoing CEO Psillakis has been appointed as the head of sales and product management at Mercedes-Benz USA effective from Sept. 1.

Psillakis has been working in Korea for the past five years. During his tenure, Mercedes-Benz became the best-selling import brand with towering sales figures in recent years. The number of vehicles the brand sold last year grew 10.4 percent year-on-year to 78,133, which was No. 5 among all carmakers here.