Martin Jahn, the only Czech on Škoda Auto's board, moves to Volkswagen

Martin Jahn, the only Czech member of Škoda Auto's management board, is leaving the company for its parent group, Volkswagen. According to press releases issued by Škoda Auto and Volkswagen on Wednesday, he will join the Volkswagen brand's board as of October, taking charge of sales, marketing and after-sales service at the company's headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. At the same time, he has been nominated to Škoda's supervisory board.

"During his time with us, Martin Jahn made a significant contribution to Škoda Auto's growth and success. Under his leadership, we became the second best-selling brand in Europe," said Škoda Auto CEO Klaus Zellmer. According to Zellmer, it was under Jahn that the company successfully launched its own fully electric vehicles, built a more customer-focused sales structure in line with the brand's "Human Touch" philosophy, refreshed its corporate identity, and increased the value of the Škoda brand.

Twenty years within the Volkswagen Group

Jahn has spent two decades working within the Volkswagen Group. He began his career in 1994 at CzechInvest, the Czech state agency for attracting foreign investment, and after heading the agency's American office in Chicago, became its CEO in 2000. From 2004 to 2006, he served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic responsible for the economy.

He then joined Škoda Auto in Mladá Boleslav as a board member for human resources. In 2008, Jahn was appointed head of Volkswagen Group Russia in Moscow, where he was responsible for the group's sales in the country. In 2010, he became Volkswagen's executive director for international corporate sales in Wolfsburg, overseeing the group's global sales operations. From 2016, he worked in China as executive vice president for sales and marketing and CEO of the Volkswagen brand within the FAW-VW joint venture. In March 2021, he returned to Škoda Auto as board member for sales and marketing.

Who will replace him

Jahn's successor on Škoda's board will be Bineová, who has worked within the Volkswagen Group since 2001 and has held various positions, including in strategy and premium car sales. In August 2020, she took charge of Volkswagen's small and compact model line-up, and since September 2022 she has headed the board of Volkswagen Group Africa as chairwoman and CEO.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz