Board of management appointments at Group subsidiaries

New board of management posts with responsibility for procurement are being created at three subsidiaries to support the growth strategy of the Volkswagen Group and to cater for the growing significance of global procurement markets. Ralf Brandstätter (39) has been appointed to the Executive Committee of the Seat brand, Spain, with effect from July 1, 2008. Rüdiger Koch (50) will become the board member for procurement at VW de Mexico effective July 1. In this capacity he will hold responsibility for the procurement market throughout North America. Alexander Seitz (46), who has been named board member for procurement at VW do Brasil with effect from August 1, will hold the same responsibility for the entire procurement market in South America.

Ralf Brandstätter joined the Volkswagen Group as an industrial engineer in 1993. Following positions in international project steering in the procurement division, as an assistant to the board of management in the corporate secretariat and as head of procurement, inter alia for Group powertrains and new vehicle projects, he was appointed head of procurement at Seat in 2005. This position is now being upgraded to board of management status, underlining the importance of the Seat brand for the Group.

Rüdiger Koch has been with Volkswagen since 1985. The engineering graduated worked in Group sales, was project manager for the New Beetle and held responsibility for Group key components purchase before being appointed head of procurement at Bentley in the United Kingdom in 1999. One year later he was made head of forward sourcing for the Volkswagen Group and appointed head of Group procurement for powertrains in 2002. He moved to take up the post of head of procurement, Volkswagen Group China, in 2004.

Alexander Seitz had already spent 18 years working for other manufacturers in the automotive industry before he joined the Volkswagen Group procurement division in 2005, holding responsibility, inter alia, for powertrains. The business graduate has extensive experience working abroad, for example in Brazil.