• by Tanya Gazdik , July 10, 2025

BMW of North America has hired former Volvo U.S. marketing chief Leigh Moynihan as vice president of marketing.

Moynihan succeeds Marcus Casey, who will assume a new leadership role within the BMW Group globally, according to the automaker. 

Effective Aug. 1, Moynihan will oversee all marketing communications for the BMW brand in the U.S. including advertising, retail marketing, consumer experience and brand partnerships, CRM and media. She reports to Sebastian Mackensen, president and CEO, BMW of North America. 

Moynihan joins BMW with nearly 25 years of marketing, advertising, and brand development experience, most recently at Volvo Car USA where she was vice president, head of marketing for Volvo Car USA and Canada for five and a half years and director of marketing for two years.

She resigned in October 2024 and was replaced by Rafael Ugo in January. Ugo previously served as marketing and business intelligence director for Volvo in Latin America.

During Moynihan's tenure at Volvo, she helped steward a return to the brand’s core values of safety and sustainability, resulting in award-winning campaigns and accolades, according to a release.

Before Volvo, Moynihan had short stints at Mastercard and Starwood Hotels and Resorts after 10 years at Grey Group where she worked on Clairol, Wella, Pantene and Downy. She also was in account management at Saatchi & Saatchi for two years. Moynihan began her career in sports marketing during the 2000 Summer Olympics,

"Leigh brings a powerful combination of creativity, data-driven insight, and brand-building expertise to BMW at a dynamic time in our industry," Mackensen says in a release. "We are excited to welcome her to the team as we continue to shape the next chapter of BMW in the U.S. market.”

Mackensen also thanked Casey, who was in the position for three years. 

“Under his direction, the BMW brand was elevated in meaningful and memorable ways, including our unforgettable 2024 Super Bowl spot, ‘Talkin’ Like Walken,’” Mackensen says.