Skoda Auto Volkswagen India (SAVWI) has announced the appointment of Petr Šolc as the Director of Sales & Marketing of Skoda Auto India w.e.f September 1 2022, succeeding Zac Hollis, who will be taking on another role within the Volkswagen Group. Hollis will continue to be with Skoda Auto India until September 30, 2022.
In his new role, Šolc will be responsible for driving further growth for Skoda in India, a key market in the Group’s global expansion strategy, the company noted.
Before moving to India, Šolc was the Head of the Skoda division in Russia. The company noted that he has been associated with the Skoda brand within the Volkswagen Group for the last 17 years and has worked globally across various designations.
A graduate from the Technical University in Liberec with a master’s degree in economics, Šolc began his career at Skoda Auto in 2005, initially in the Central European Sales department.
After holding various sales managerial positions in the Northern Europe region, he moved to Volkswagen Group UK in 2013, where he was responsible for the Skoda brand’s sales planning and supply, a press release from the company said.
In 2016, he returned to Skoda Auto headquarters, where he became Head of Sales for the Eastern Europe region. Over the past five years, he has managed the sales activities in the overseas region and taken significant steps towards developing the Skoda brand in markets such as India, Australia, North Africa, and New Zealand, the release stated.
Piyush Arora, Managing Director, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, noted that the company continues to strengthen the team to enhance its performance further.
Christian Cahn von Seelen, Executive Director – Sales & Marketing, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, said, “I would like to thank Zac Hollis for his outstanding contribution to ensuring the success of the Group’s INDIA 2.0 programme. Under his leadership, Skoda Auto India grew into new dimensions and witnessed its best half-year ever in 2022.”
Interestingly, SAVWI recorded its highest-ever H1 sales in India with 52,698 units sold from January to June 2022, growing 200% YoY.