New role: Former journalist Paul Pottinger will head up the corporate communications for Volkswagen Group Australia.
VOLKSWAGEN Group Australia has named Paul Pottinger as its incoming general manager of corporate communications, effective May 30.
Replacing Karl Gehling, who left the company in February, Mr Pottinger brings considerable media experience to the position, most recently as senior media adviser for the NRMA.
He has spent about a year at the peak New South Wales motoring club, having moved into PR in 2014 as an industry consultant, with clients including Audi Australia – the independently run Volkswagen Group premium brand – and Hyundai Motor Co Australia.
Prior to that Mr Pottinger worked for many years with News Corporation, including four years at Carsguide (including two as editor), eight years at The Sunday Telegraph in Sydney (including chief sub-editor, auto editor, deputy chief of staff and senior columnist) and three years at The Weekend Australian Magazine.
He has also contributed to other publications such as Fairfax Media’s The Sydney Morning Herald, Good Weekend magazine and AFR Magazine, and earlier in his career worked his way through the ranks at SMH, from cadet to Metro editor.
Other positions of note include a stint with Microsoft and as a speechwriter and researcher for the office of the lord mayor of Sydney in the mid-1990s.
In a statement, Volkswagen Group Australia described Mr Pottinger as a “fierce consumer advocate” who is well credentialed to take on the leading PR role at the German brand, which is a top-10 sales performer but currently engaged in crisis management stemming from the global diesel emissions cheating scandal.
“With strong relationships across media, government and other industry bodies, Paul is well placed to lead the evolution of the Volkswagen Group Australia brand and corporate communication strategy, consistent with the Volkswagen passenger and commercial vehicles and Skoda brands’ growth plans for the Australian market,” the company said.
By Terry Martin
