Personnel foundation laid for Volkswagen Group’s continuing successful transformation

Gunnar Kilian, the Member of the Board of Management for Human Resources and Truck & Bus at Volkswagen AG, said: “The Human Resources Department occupies a key position in our Group’s transformation into a software-oriented company. We intend to further bolster and expand this position so that all of our brands will have a highly qualified workforce as they move into the future. We have also put a successful crisis management system into place, and this system has helped us overcome the impact of the global crises we have faced in recent years. Our new appointments also reflect our intention to continue to systematically take this approach in terms of our personnel choices.”

Kilian noted that the appointment of Marcellus Puig to the positions of CEO and President of the Volkswagen Group Argentina underscored the key role played by the HR Department: “The promotion of Marcellus Puig also reflects his entrepreneurial skills, abilities that he has demonstrated over and over again during his long career in the Group. For this reason, I am happy about his promotion to this highly responsible position and would also like to thank him for the many years of support he has provided in HR.”

Kilian said the appointment of Arne Meiswinkel to the position of Chief Human Resources Officer for the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand would provide a significant boost to the company’s transformation: “Arne Meiswinkel will draw on his many years of and great experience in human resources as well as on his excellent understanding of the company to successfully reach our transformation targets. We also enjoy a close and trusting working relationship that we have developed over the years and I know that he is the ideal choice for this demanding job.”

Thomas Schäfer, designated CEO of the Volkswagen brand and the Member of the Board of Management for the ‘Volume’ brand group said: “With Arne Meiswinkel, we have gained an extremely experienced and multitalented HR expert who will further implement our strategy. As a member of the Board of Management team of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, he will make a valuable contribution and confidently lead our workforce through change with his eye clearly focused on the future. I am looking forward to working with him and wish him all the best in his new role.”

Kilian said of the appointment of Dr. Laura Carnicero as SEAT’s Member of the Board of Management for People and Organization: “Laura Carnicero’s impressive and multifaceted career extends from production to human resources. It perfectly demonstrates what fundamental transformation is all about. Thanks to this broad range of knowledge, she knows exactly which levers she will need to pull in order for the transformation at SEAT to succeed. She is thus the best-possible person for this task.”

Wayne Griffiths, President of SEAT S.A., adds: "Laura Carnicero is a strong leader with proven experience in our company. Her appointment is a recognition of her work and achievements and the internal talent we have at SEAT S.A. People are the most important driving force behind our organization. I am convinced that Laura is personally committed to SEAT and to the transformation of our company."

Marcellus Puig began his career in 1998 at Volkswagen do Brasil, where he has held a number of managerial positions in HR. From 2013 to 2017, he was Vice President of HR at the Volkswagen Group Argentina. He held the same position at Volkswagen do Brasil and the SAM region from 2017 to 2021. In this function, he played an active role in the transformation and restructuring of the company’s business operations in the SAM region. Most recently, Puig was the Head of HR for the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand in Wolfsburg and was a member of the global Executive Committee at Volkswagen. Puig earned a degree in business administration at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo and a MBA in business administration at the University of California. He also obtained specialization training in project management at George Washington University.

Arne Meiswinkel has more than 20 years of experience in various managerial positions at the Volkswagen Group. He began his career in 1995 at the German Steel Employers Association and later moved to Heidelberger-Druckmaschinen AG. In 2002, Meiswinkel, who earned a business administration degree in Germany, joined the Volkswagen Group in Wolfsburg. In 2004, he became Head of the Office of the Group’s Chief Human Resources Officer. He took over human resources support in 2007 and became head of the HR Department of the Volkswagen plant in Braunschweig the following year. In 2011, Arne Meiswinkel became Managing Director for HR and Organization of Volkswagen Sachsen GmbH. He assumed the position of Director of HR Policies and Industrial Relations for the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand in 2012. He has overseen the HR principles and management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cards brand and the Volkswagen Group since 2018. He was appointed General Representative of the Volkswagen Group in this function in 2020.

Dr. Laura Carnicero holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). Her experience in the automotive sector dates back to 1999 when she joined SEAT S.A. and, a year later, she moved to the Volkswagen Group headquarters in Wolfsburg to join the laser welding research team. In 2001, Carnicero returned to Barcelona and began a career of internal development occupying different positions within the company, where her experience and leadership in technical areas, such as production and product planning, stood out. In 2015, Carnicero took a radical turn in her professional career and joined the Human Resources department as Head of Training and Development at SEAT S.A., where she was also Director of the Apprentices School. In 2020, she assumed her latest position as the Director of Personnel at SEAT S.A.