• by Tanya Gazdik , May 18, 2023

Mercedes-Benz USA has named Melody Lee, a former Cadillac executive, as its next chief marketing officer. 

She assumes her new role July 1 and will report to Dimitris Psillakis, head of marketing and sales, Mercedes-Benz Cars North America and CEO of MBUSA.

The luxury automaker's previous CMO, Drew Slaven, retired earlier this year.

Lee served two executive roles at Cadillac, including global brand director of BOOK by Cadillac and director of brand marketing, during her six-year tenure.

Most recently she was at global design company MillerKnoll, where she served as senior vice president of global brand and product marketing, leading brand strategy across Herman Miller and Knoll’s products, channels and audiences. 

Prior to MillerKnoll, Lee was the global chief operating officer for design communications agency Camron and vice president for brand development with beauty brand Shiseido. 

She was also executive vice president at PR agency Hill+Knowlton Strategies.

MBUSA announced two other executive appointment to its U.S. leadership team. Heike Scheuble was named managing director, Mercedes-Benz Vans, and Jee-Seop Kim was announced as head of customer services.

All three executive roles will be based in Atlanta, Georgia. 

“With these new appointments, we are poised to accelerate our path to become the most desired luxury electric brand in North America, and reinforce our commitment to our customers and dealer partners,” Psillakis says in a statement. 

Lee joined General Motors as director, brand marketing, Cadillac in 2012. 

She was 29 at the time, brought to Cadillac as one of General Motors’ youngest-ever executives, and tasked with a plan to reinvent the then-110-year-old brand. She immediately led the complete overhaul of Cadillac’s brand positioning and identity.

In her second year at the company, she was part of the decision to move Cadillac from Detroit to New York.