FORMER Hyundai Motor America chief marketing officer Angela Zepeda has resigned less than a month after she was demoted to the chief creative officer role.

The demotion was part of a split in the marketing department made by HMA which handed global sales marketing vice president Sean Gilpin the additional role of vice president of marketing performance, effectively replacing Ms Zepeda.

Angela Zepeda

Ms Zepeda’s duties were reduced from overseeing performance marketing to overseeing social, creative, experiential and multicultural marketing.

In the announcement, Hyundai said that Mr Gilpin “will lead the entire marketing function for Hyundai’s US business overseeing both creative and performance” and report to Hyundai Motor America CEO Randy Parker.

Automotive News said this statement suggested that Ms Zepeda’s decision to leave Hyundai came before the move to promote Mr Gilpin to the CMO role.

She “elected to depart the company for a new position outside of the automotive industry,” according to the statement. She informed the company of her exit on August 23.

HMA CEO Randy Parker said: “I want to express my gratitude to Angela for her outstanding efforts that have significantly contributed to Hyundai’s business growth.

“Angela’s leadership has raised Hyundai’s standing in the marketplace, and her unwavering commitment to creativity and innovation continually inspired her team and our partners to deliver impactful results.”

Hyundai hired Ms Zepeda as CMO in October 2019 after she led the account for its creative agency of record, Innocean USA.

She was named an Automotive News All-Star in 2020 and in that year was also put on the Automotive News list of the 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry.

In September last year, Ms Zepeda was awarded the Adweek Marketing Vanguard Award for 2023, joining a list of 24 esteemed marketing heads honoured for their commitment to marketing creativity, building brand advocacy and driving business growth.

At that time, Mr Parker said she was “an invaluable member of our leadership team” whose “leadership has elevated Hyundai’s position in the marketing landscape of our industry and her commitment to creativity and innovation inspires and motivates her team to drive real results across the company”.