NEW APPOINTMENTS AT VWSA
On January 1, Andreas Tostmann, became the chief executive at VW's Slovakian subsidiary and former finance director of VWSA and member of Volkswagen of Brazil's Board of Management for Finance and Corporate Strategy, David Powels, succeeded him as managing director of the Uitenhage-based company.

Stephan Mund assumed the position of Director of Finance, Volkswagen of South Africa, on December 1. He replaced Carsten Isensee who joins the Board of Management for Finance and Corporate Strategy at Volkswagen of Brazil.

He joined Volkswagen's Bordnetze Group in 1999 as Commercial Manager, became Automobile Production Controlling Manager at VW AG's Wolfsburg plant in 2002 and, prior to his appointment at VWSA, served as Finance Director of Volkswagen Autoeuropa, Portugal, from 2004.

Former SABC Current Affairs Producer Banoyolo Hlalukana became Volkswagen's Product Public Relations Officer on November 1.

Ms Hlalukana, 24, of Port Elizabeth, first joined VWSA as a Public Relations trainee in the Communications Division in 2004 while she completed a National Diploma in Journalism at the PE Technikon.

STADLER TO DIRECT DINGOLFING
BMW SA managing director, Wolfgang Stadler, heads up the Munich-based firm's largest production facility - the Dingolfing plant - from the beginning of 2007.

The Dingolfing plant employs more than 23 000 workers and boasts an annual production of 300 000 units including the marque's 5, 6 and 7 Series alongside body shells for the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Stadler's successor is Bodo Donauer, a BMW Group member of some 23 years who currently manages the company's Central Personnel and Social Welfare unit.

NEW MD FOR JAGUAR, LANDY SA
Following Hal S Feder's appointment to the position of chief executive of FMCSA in late 2006, the Silverton-based manufacturer announced that Briton Andrew Daniel would become managing director of Jaguar and Land Rover SA.

Daniel's appointment sees the former worldwide sales and supply manager for Jaguar and Land Rover succeed Thomas Viehweg, who is now the regional president of Volvo in Germany.

Conversant in French and, to some degree Russian and German, Daniel has seen service with Land Rover in a number of roles ranging from finance, warranty and dealer operations in 1984 to UK government and military operations, during which he dealt with the British Ministry of Defence until 1999.

His appointment to Land Rover Russia in 2000 saw an annual ten-fold growth in the market from 600 to 6 000 units and Daniel is credited with playing an integral part in introducing the Jaguar marque to Russia in 2004.

VAN ZYL RE-ELECTED AS NAAMSA HEAD
Dr Johan van Zyl, president and chief executive of Toyota SA, has been elected as the president of Naamsa for a third successive term. The president is usually automatically replaced after two years by the senior vice president, but on this occasion Volkswagen’s Andreas Tostmann is returning to Germany.

Two vice-presidents have been elected for 2007: Robert Socia, president and managing director of General Motors South Africa, and Dave Powels, the incoming managing director of Volkswagen SA.

SA MAN NABS TOP THAI JOB
Alastair Ironside, who joined General Motors SA in Port Elizabeth in 1980, has been appointed director of planning and programme management of General Motors Thailand. GM Thailand manufactures about 120 000 pick-ups and small and medium passenger cars per year. He will also be responsible for GM’s Association of Southeast Asia Nations – a group of 10 countries that includes Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Ironside’s position at GMSA before the move to Thailand was as product planning manager.