Mercedes-Benz Korea taps digital expert as new CEO

Mercedes-Benz Korea said Wednesday that Mathias Vaitl, who currently heads the German automaker's online platform Mercedes Me, as well as their digital service business and e-commerce, has been tapped as the new CEO of the company's Korean office.

According to the announcement, Vaitl will begin his tenure at the Seoul office on Sept. 1.

"I am very excited to take the role of CEO of Mercedes-Benz Korea, the 4th largest market and one of the most dynamic and trend-setting markets in the world," said Vaitl in a press release. "I will devote myself to listening and learning customers’ demands and work closely together with Korean colleagues and dealers to strengthen customer satisfaction and continue the success story."

The company said the new CEO is a proven expert and strategist who has experience in various areas such as digital services, sales, customer service and network development in many countries including China, the Czech Republic and the German global headquarters. Vaitl joined the German automaker as a dealer network business manager in the Czech Republic in 2005.

Thomas Klein, the current CEO of Mercedes-Benz Korea, will be promoted to the head of product management and sales of passenger cars at the global headquarters as of July 1. During his two-and-a-half-year tenure at the Korean office since January 2021, Klein led the German automaker's luxury and automatization marketing to surpass the annual sales of over 80,000 units for the first time last year. Mercedes-Benz Korea's electric vehicle sales also jumped by eight times last year in comparison to the figure for 2020.