Since June, 2006, I have had the pleasure of working with Volkswagen Group Ireland in a number of positions which have allowed me to gain a broad and varied overview of the entire Pre-Sales, Sales & Marketing functions. I initially joined the Škoda brand as Sales & Product Assistant, before progressing to a Product & Planning Executive role, in which time I was part of a small team that overhauled the entire Product portfolio, introduced 2 additional model lines, managed production and stock, whilst rolling out and training new order management systems and processes.
In 2011, I moved into the position of Area Sales Manager where I enjoyed working with Retailers to achieve the Brands growth targets, in terms of volume, market share, customer satisfaction, finance penetration and ROS.
As part of my career development plan with Volkswagen Group Ireland, I partook in a 9 month international assignment at Škoda Headquarters in the Czech Republic during 2012. Whilst there, I worked in Central planning & reporting and with Sales regions in International Sales, where I gained a vast and broad knowledge and understanding of Sales, product and planning processes at Manufacturer headquarters.
In 2013, I returned from International assignment and resumed the role of Area Sales Manager for Škoda, where I championed customer satisfaction and developed the Škoda Approved Used Car programme, while at the same time performing my day to day responsibilities.
In 2015, I took up the role of Planning Manager for Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Ireland’s no.1 Car Brand. In my role, I was responsible for the seasonal volume planning of sales, wholesales and production planning. This role played a critical role in managing the delivery of the annual sales targets, analysing market trends and communication between VGIE and VW HQ.
In 2017, I was appointed Head of Product and Planning for Volkswagen Passenger Cars, where I am responsible for monitoring the market side of the business, which not only includes Head up the volume planning and forecasting side but also strategically analysing the position and price of new and existing products to ensure market competitiveness and thereby contribute to the overall objective of remaining the number one car brand in the market.
With this comes great responsibility, but also great opportunity in terms of exposure at a senior level both nationally and internationally. Making and influencing decisions that directly affect the success of the brand is a hugely rewarding feeling.
As you can see, working for Volkswagen Group Ireland, for me, has included experience and skill-set development locally and at an International level which has benefitted me greatly. People development is important within Volkswagen Group Ireland and is continuous. I participated in Volkswagen Group Ireland’s Management Development programme in the past which on top of my third level qualification and experience has been very useful to me.