The head of the Czech representation of the Škoda Auto car manufacturer, Luboš Vlček, will end in office on 1 September. Vlček was responsible for all sales, marketing and after-sales activities of the brand on the domestic market. He will be replaced by the current head of sales on the Czech market, Jiří Maláček. Vlček will remain in Škoda, he will be responsible for the activities of the Škoda brand in Western Europe, the carmaker informed in a press release.
–
Vlček has been working for Škoda Auto and the Volkswagen Group since 1992. He took up the position of head of the Czech representation of the Škoda brand in January 2014 after several years at Volkswagen Group China. “Today’s success of the Škoda brand on the domestic market is due to the entire Škoda team, from the production plant through the import organization to our dealer network,” said Vlček.
–
Jiří Maláček
Photo: Škoda
Maláček came to Škoda in January. “The new position is a big challenge for me. I am glad to be a part of the success story of the home brand, “he said. Among other things, he had to deal with the coronavirus crisis.
–
Today, the carmaker declined to comment on the question of whether it is standard for a person with such a short experience in Škoda to get such an important position, or whether Maláček stood out from other potential candidates. “Please understand, but we will not comment on this topic,” said spokesman Pavel Jína.
–
Recently, this is not the only significant personnel change in Škoda Auto. At the beginning of July, the carmaker announced that the chairman of the board, Bernhard Maier, would end. His successor will be elected by the company’s board of directors in August. The member of the board responsible for purchasing had already been replaced, and Dieter Seemann was replaced by Karsten Schnake.
–
The company announced Maier’s end of office a week ago without justification. According to the German newspaper Handelsblatt, power disputes in the Volkswagen Group are in the background. For a long time, it has been written that Volkswagen is bothered by the success of Škoda, whose models compete with other cars of the group beyond expectations. The chairman of the corporate council, Jaroslav Povšík, has previously stated that Volkswagen Škoda envies the success. There was also information in the media that Škoda was ahead of Audi with its successes, which is not good for the group.
–
For example, unions fear that the brand will continue to move after the new chairman of the board has joined. According to them, it is not clear whether the new boss will want to develop Škoda or, on the contrary, to slow down so that it is not such strong competition from other brands of the group.
–
Last year, Škoda Auto delivered 1.24 million cars worldwide. It operates three production plants in the Czech Republic, produces in China, Russia, Slovakia and India, mostly through group partnerships, as well as in Ukraine and Kazakhstan in cooperation with local partners. It is active in more than 100 markets. It employs almost 39,000 employees, of which almost 34,000 people in the Czech Republic.
—
