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| Mathias Vaitl, newly appointed CEO of Mercedes-Benz Korea / Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Korea |
By Baek Byung-yeul
Mercedes-Benz Korea appointed Mathias Vaitl, who currently leads Mercedes me, Digital Services Business and eCommerce, as its new CEO, the Korean unit of the German luxury car brand said, Wednesday. Mercedes-Benz Korea said the new CEO's term will begin on Sept. 1.
Thomas Klein, the current CEO, will be promoted as head of Product Management & Sales Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars & Integrated Production, Sales and Inventory Planning at Mercedes-Benz Group AG.
The company said Vaitl has an extensive and proven track record in various business areas in digital services, sales and customer service in many countries.
"I am very excited to take the role of CEO of Mercedes-Benz Korea, the fourth-largest market and one of the most dynamic and trend-setting markets in the world," Vaitl said. "I will devote myself to listening and learning customers' demands and work closely together with Korean colleagues and dealers to strengthen customer satisfaction and continue the success story."
Vaitl graduated with a diploma in business administration from Nuertingen-Geislingen University specializing in automotive industry and international business management in 2005. In the same year, he joined Mercedes-Benz as a business manager for a dealer network at its subsidiary in Prague, Czech Republic.
Since then, he has gathered extensive proven experience in digital services, sales and customer service in countries such as China, the company said.
Within Mercedes-Benz, the Korean unit is considered a key position as the brand is one of the most popular foreign car brands here. Dimitris Psillakis, the current CEO of Mercedes-Benz North America, also served as CEO of the Korean unit from 2015 to 2020.
In 2022, the Korean market accounted for 4 percent of the German company's total vehicle sales, following China with 37 percent, the U.S. with 15 percent and Germany with 11 percent. Korea is the No. 1 market globally for the E-Class mid-size sedan.
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