Ju Yang-ye, BMW Korea brand head, was promoted to chief executive officer (CEO) of BMW Group's Thailand subsidiary.
According to BMW on Feb. 3, Ju will serve as CEO of the Thailand subsidiary starting Feb. 1 next year. Rene Gerhardt, the current CEO leading the Thailand subsidiary, is reportedly set to move to oversee the Singapore region.
Ju completed studies in anthropology at Seoul National University and an MBA program at the University of Helsinki in Finland, worked at Intel Korea, and joined BMW Korea in 2007. After being promoted in 2013 to managing director overseeing the Mini brand at BMW Korea, Ju served as executive director in charge of sales, executive director in charge of communications, and executive director in charge of marketing.
Over 18 years working in communications, sales, and marketing, Ju is credited with helping BMW take root in the domestic market and rise to a leading position competing for the No. 1 spot in imported car sales alongside Mercedes-Benz.
A BMW Korea official said, "This personnel decision reflects the group's commitment to leveraging the capabilities of outstanding domestic talent in other regional markets," and added, "We expect Ju's long experience to play a major role in increasing BMW's market share in Thailand."