Track record: Inchcape says it is “fully committed” to growing the presence of Peugeot and Citroen in Australia, and is confident Ms Poelmann’s “strong track record and recognised leadership capabilities will be a major asset” for the company.

INCHCAPE Australia has named experienced former Volvo Cars executive, Dutch-born Anouk Poelmann, as managing director of the newly formed Peugeot Citroen Australia.

Inchcape, which took over distribution of the PSA brands from Sime Darby Motors on June 1, said in a statement released this week that Ms Poelmann was expected to start her new position in late July.

Ms Poelmann has worked in both manufacturer and retail sides of the automotive industry in a range of positions spanning general management, business development, and sales and marketing.

For the past few years she has worked as a managing partner of Belgian-based business consultant Scope, and previously spent five years as president of Volvo Car Switzerland (2009-2014) and six years as vice-president and sales and marketing director of Volvo Car Russia (2003-2009).

Prior to that, Ms Poelmann spent two years working for Volvo Cars in a variety of sales and marketing roles for the Swedish manufacturer’s ‘rest of the world’ region, which includes Australasia, Asia (except China), Russia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

Inchcape says Ms Poelmann has also served as chief operating officer of a major European multi-branded retail group with French roots, and that “throughout her career, Anouk has lived and worked in a number of markets across Europe and internationally”.

In announcing the appointment, Inchcape Australasia chief executive Nick Senior said Ms Poelmann, who will relocate from Luxembourg to Sydney, joins the company “at a crucial moment as we expand our Australian distribution platform partnering with ‘Groupe PSA’ to complement our current operations, creating an even stronger platform for growth”.

“We are fully committed to grow the presence of the Peugeot and Citroen brands in Australia,” he said. “Anouk’s strong track record and recognised leadership capabilities will be a major asset in this new phase of our organisation.”

Peugeot Citroen Australia corporate communications and events manager Jemma White

Ms Poelmann described her move, and the challenge ahead, as “very exciting”.

“This is a company with a strong history and appealing core values: passionate about the ‘human’ side of our business, industry-leading customer experience, and commitment to delivering performance for our brand partners,” she said.

“On top of that, Inchcape is a modern and dynamic company with a highly ambitious vision to be the world’s most trusted automotive distributor and retailer. The passion that I have encountered so far within Inchcape only adds to my excitement, and the timing is excellent as we are launching a strong product offensive.”

As GoAuto has reported, this will include the long-awaited new 3008 mid-size SUV in the third quarter and, before the year is out, the seven-seat 5008 large SUV.

Inchcape also announced this week that it had appointed Jemma White as corporate communications and events manager for Peugeot Citroen Australia, starting in the new role on July 3.

Ms White was previously group marketing manager for the Inchcape-owned Trivett Bespoke prestige retail automotive stable, which represents the Aston Martin, Bentley, McLaren and Rolls-Royce brands in Sydney.

As GoAuto has reported, Ms White last year accepted an award for ‘Best Cool, Modern, Luxury Activity’ at Rolls-Royce’s global dealer awards in Berlin on behalf of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Sydney, having played a key role in the successful launch of the Dawn convertible in Australia.

“We are very pleased to further Jemma’s career within Inchcape,” Mr Senior said.

“Jemma’s recognised capabilities will be a major asset in our commitment to grow the presence of the Peugeot and Citroen brands in Australia.”

By Terry Martin