Finance Department of the Core Brand Group Receives Change in Management
Photo credit: Volkswagen Group
There will be a handover of leadership on the boards of SEAT S.A. and Volkswagen Passenger Cars starting on October 1, 2024. As Chief Financial and IT Officer of SEAT S.A., Patrik A. Mayer will succeed David Powels, and David Powels will assume Patrik A. Mayer’s duties.
“In these times, the finance department is undoubtedly of great importance. As CFO of the Volkswagen brand, Patrik Mayer has made a significant contribution to the structured and successful launch of the performance program. David Powel will build on this. And at the same time – under even more difficult conditions – provide impetus for competitive costs and structures. It is also about leveraging the synergies within the Brand Group Core with the utmost consistency,” says Thomas Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, Brand Group Core & CEO Volkswagen Brand.
“David’s contribution has been crucial to the transformation of our company and has helped us achieve our best financial results to date. His role in returning SEAT S.A. to profitability has been key to the growth of our company. I thank him for the support he has given me and SEAT S.A. and I am convinced that he will continue to do a great job as he joins the Board of the Volkswagen brand and we count on his support in the implementation of the SEAT and CUPRA strategy,” says Wayne Griffiths, CEO SEAT and CUPRA. “To continue our journey towards sustainable profitability, it is essential to have experienced and qualified leaders like Patrik Mayer on board. We are very pleased to welcome him to SEAT and CUPRA.”
Heilbronn is the hometown of Patrik Andreas Mayer, who was born there in 1970. Following his high school graduation in 1990, Mayer attended the École Nationale Supérieure d’Arts et Métiers in Paris, Coventry University, and KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) to study mechanical and industrial engineering.
Additionally, he graduated from the UK’s Henley Management College with a Master of Business Administration. In 1997, he started working for the Volkswagen Group in Wolfsburg as an international trainee. At VW Passenger Cars, he was appointed Head of Investment Controlling in 2001.
Subsequently, the Group offered other managerial roles, such as Executive Vice President for Finance and Information Technology at Volkswagen Group of America in Chattanooga, Director of Finance at Volkswagen Navarra, and Head of Business Development. In 2014, he was assigned to the Controlling department at the Kassel components plant. In 2016, he was appointed as the Chief Financial Officer to the Volkswagen Group Russia Board of Management. He has been a member of the Volkswagen brand Board of Management, overseeing Finance, since October 1, 2022.
David Powels became a certified chartered accountant in South Africa after earning his commerce degree from Nelson Mandela University of Port Elizabeth. At the University of Cape Town, he also earned a postgraduate degree in management development. In 1989, Powels began working for Volkswagen South Africa. In 2007, after working in Brazil and Germany, he was named CEO of Volkswagen Group South Africa. After that, he was appointed CEO and President of Volkswagen South America and Volkswagen Brazil. Powels has been a board member for finance and IT at SEAT S.A. since September 1, 2021. He was formerly employed by SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Co. in China as first vice-president and executive vice-president for commercial from the end of 2017.
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