Outgoing VWSA MD David Powels
Volkswagen South Africa (VWSA) has named engineer and Volkswagen Group (VWAG) foreign plants production head Thomas Schäfer as its new MD, following the planned deployment of current MD David Powels as president of VW Brazil, from February next year.
Schäfer had been employed by VW since 2012, when he joined the group from automotive manufacturer Mercedes-Benz.
Powels, meanwhile, joined the VWSA finance division in 1989 before becoming finance director in 1999, a post he held for four years before being appointed VP of finance and corporate strategy at VW Brazil in 2002.
He returned to South Africa in 2007 to take up the position of MD of the South African unit.