Christian Nater (50), currently the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Porsche Korea, will become Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Porsche Taiwan as of 1 May 2022. He will succeed Mathias Busse, who became Head of Sales at Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge (VWN) in Germany on 1 February 2022. Philipp von Witzendorff (49) will take over as CEO of Porsche Japan on 1 July 2022, succeeding Michael Kirsch, who is moving to Shanghai as President and CEO of Porsche China and Porsche Hongkong and Macao.
“Christian Nater has been with Porsche for almost 25 years, and he is an absolute expert on our brand and products,” says Detlev von Platen, Member of the Executive Board for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG. “Thanks to his experience in Korea, he is also extremely familiar with the particularities of the Asian markets. He will further develop Porsche’s presence in Taiwan – a growing and ultra-modern market, which we feel has great potential and enormous innovation power.”
Christian Nater has worked for Porsche Korea since 2018. Before that he held various positions at the Porsche group headquarters in Zuffenhausen. Most recently, as Head of Controlling for the SUV model lines Cayenne and Macan.
Taiwan: Electrification and new retail formats
Since the foundation of Porsche Taiwan in 2018, the sports car manufacturer has steadily developed its presence in this market. In 2021, more than 4,000 vehicles were delivered to Taiwanese customers – one in five of which was electrified. In addition, the Porsche Studio Tainan City, an urban retail space with a boutique-like atmosphere, opened last year and increased the number of Porsche Studios in Taiwan to three.
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As of February 1, 2022, Ralph Uhlmann, currently Director Business Development Porsche Taiwan, additionally has been serving as the interim CEO until Christian Nater joins Porsche Taiwan.
Japan: Customer experience further expanded
Porsche has steadily expanded its presence in Japan in recent years, focusing on customer excitement and emotional brand experiences. Examples of this are the Porsche Experience Center (PEC) Tokyo, which opened in October last year, and modern sales formats such as Porsche Sales Pop-ups. Last year, Porsche delivered 6,900 vehicles in Japan.
“Philipp von Witzendorff is an experienced sales expert who made a name for himself as CEO of Porsche Retail Hamburg. With him, we have found the ideal person to further strengthen the traditional Porsche market Japan with its growing community of Porsche fans. In addition to the expansion of emotional customer experiences, his focus will also be on the further transformation on the way towards electromobility,” says Detlev von Platen.
Von Witzendorff has been Chairman of the Management Board of Porsche Retail Hamburg since April 2019. Prior to this time, Philipp von Witzendorff held management positions at Mercedes-Benz in Germany and abroad. Before that, he was responsible for the business of a large car dealer group in Canada as COO. Philipp von Witzendorff's successor will be announced at a later date.
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