Volkswagen Group Africa Chairperson and Managing Director Martina Biene is leaving her leadership role to join Škoda Auto as a Board Member responsible for Sales and Marketing, in a senior executive reshuffle across the Volkswagen Group, according to Reuters and CNBC Africa. Biene will take up the new position on October 1, 2026, succeeding Martin Jahn, as the group aligns experienced leaders across its major brands and markets.
Biene became the first woman to serve as Chairperson and Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Africa when she was appointed in November 2022. During her tenure, Volkswagen’s Kariega manufacturing plant in South Africa recorded its highest production volume of 167,084 vehicles in 2024, while the company announced a R4 billion investment to introduce a third model at the facility. Biene also served as President of the Association of African Automotive Manufacturers from 2023 to 2026.
She will be succeeded by Christiane Zorn, currently Vice President Region Overseas at Porsche AG, who will become Chairperson and Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Africa from October 1, subject to regulatory and statutory approvals. Zorn brings about two decades of automotive industry experience to the role and will report directly to Thomas Schäfer, Volkswagen Group Board Member and CEO of Brand Group Core.
The leadership transition comes as Volkswagen undertakes a wider restructuring of its global operations and seeks to place experienced executives in strategically important markets. For Africa, Zorn’s appointment comes at an important moment for Volkswagen’s South African manufacturing operations and its wider expansion across the continent, while Biene’s move to Škoda gives her responsibility for a major European automotive brand at a time when the group is sharpening its focus on sales, marketing and international growth.
