KOCH SUCCEEDS SOCIA AT GMSA
Stevan Koch was named General Motors Latin America, Africa, Middle East (LAAM) vice president of African Operations and president and managing director of General Motors SA recently.

GM Group Vice President and President LAAM Maureen Kempston Darkes announced that Koch replaced Robert E. Socia, now the executive vice president of Shanghai General Motors, on July 1.

Socia was appointed as president and managing director of GM South Africa at the beginning of 2004 when General Motors returned to the country. He played an important role in the expansion of GMSA’s manufacturing operations, including the Hummer H3 export project.

Effective 01 August 2007, John Astbury has been promoted to the position of GM South Africa Vice President of After Sales. In his new role he reports to Koch and Managing Director of GM South Africa and John Stadwick, Regional Director of After Sales for LAAM.

BRENT APPOINTED FMCSA VP OF MARKETING, SALES
Jacques Brent becomes a director of Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa with his promotion to vice president of marketing and sales for Ford. He replaces Gabriel Lopez, who has been appointed president, Ford Andina and will be relocating to Venezuela.

Brent, the outgoing General Manager of Mazda, joined Ford of Southern Africa in 1995, and has held a number of senior management roles across the company, including Managing Director of Volvo, National Sales Manager for Ford and Mazda, and Finance Director of Premier Automotive Group.

NEW COMMERCIAL VEHICLES MANAGERS AT VWSA
Volkswagen of South Africa’s Commercial Vehicles Division has been bolstered by two new top-level appointments.

Johan Cloete, formerly of DaimlerChrysler South Africa, has taken up the post of General Manager Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

In addition, Jaco Steenekamp, 42, was named the division’s National Sales Manager following an 11-year stint at DaimlerChrysler.

Hi-q MD NAMED GOODYEAR SALES DIRECTOR
Andrew Bowren, Hi-Q’s first and only MD since its inception, has been appointed Goodyear South Africa's new sales director.

“The franchise had shown tremendous growth under his leadership. One of Andrew's strengths is his customer focus and an understanding of customer needs and wants,” Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Holdings managing director Derek de Villiers said.

Bowren, a former Human Resources Director at Toyota SA, joined Goodyear in 1998. After gaining further exposure in international Human Resources at the Goodyear head office in Akron, USA, Bowren was appointed the national product manager of Consumer Tyre sales in South Africa and became the managing director of Hi-Q in 2004.