Cadillac has appointed Kristian Aquilina as Managing Director, Cadillac International Operations and Cadillac Middle East. Mr Aquilina succeeds Christian Soemmer who has been appointed as President and Managing Director Strategic Markets, Alliances and Distributors in Seoul, South Korea.
Bringing over 20 years of experience with General Motors globally and with a deep understanding of vehicle sales, brand and marketing strategy and the ability to forge and sustain strong relationships with key stakeholders, Mr Aquilina says to be in charge of leading Cadillac’s strategy and vision across the company’s operations in Europe, Russia, the Middle East, South Korea and Japan.
“I am thrilled to take on this new journey with Cadillac and work with an incredible team across continents. This is such an exciting time for Cadillac as it continues evolving from a brand level. Our product strategy is in a transformation phase and I look forward to how we can further develop our dealer network and customer experience to match. The automotive world will change beyond recognition this decade, and Cadillac will most certainly be at the forefront. I couldn’t be more excited about it,” expressed Mr Aquilina.
Prior to taking on his current role, Kristian handled several senior positions across different General Motors offices, namely in sales and marketing as well as business unit leadership. These include Managing Director Holden New Zealand and Executive Director of Sales and Marketing at GM Holden. Kristian was also recently appointed Chairman and Managing Director GM Holden. Notably, he has led the transition of the business to the newly formed General Motors Australia and New Zealand.
Mr Aquilina holds a Bachelor of Arts from RMIT University, as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Management and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Melbourne Business School.
