• by Tanya Gazdik , February 12, 2024

Nelly Kennedy is leaving her role as global chief marketing officer at Volkswagen after a year, the automaker confirmed.

A successor will be announced at a later date, a spokesperson tells Marketing Daily. 

VW is reviewing its global media account. Omnicom’s PHD is the incumbent. The agency’s contract expired at the end of 2023. It won the account in 2016, unseating GroupM’s MediaCom. which had held the account for nearly 20 years, according toMediaPost Agency Daily.

Meanwhile. JLR North America (formerly known as Jaguar Land Rover) has named three U.S. brand directors. The personnel changes come under the luxury automaker’s new “House of Brands” approach , which aims to focus on individual nameplates as part of a plan to reposition as an electric-first, modern luxury carmaker.

Sam Allen was recently appointment as brand director Defender and Discovery North America, joining Brandon Baldassari (Jaguar) and Theresa Choh-Lee (Range Rover) who were appointed to the positions last year.

Allen was previously head of product marketing for Jaguar. He has been with the automaker for 12 1/2 years. 

Choh-Lee, who was appointed in November, joins the automaker from Lixil, which produces luxury fitting, fixtures and tile brands for the kitchen and bath. She has also worked at Totes Isotoner and Pepperidge Farm. 

Baldassari, who was appointed in October, was previously one of three regional vice presidents, leading all business activity of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands across 65 retailers in 13 states and Puerto Rico. He has been with the automaker for 11 years.  

The “House of Brands” approach, announced in April 2023, aims to “amplify the unique character of each the company’s brands — Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar," according to the automaker.  Land Rover is missing from the list, but the name remains visible on vehicles.

The new brand director positions including leading the optimization and implementation of the product vision, strategy and roadmap for the United States while working with the global House of Brands to bring the vehicles' direction to life.