End of an era for Volkswagen in South Africa

The woman who has led Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) for four years is set to leave at the start of October 2026.

Martina Biene is leaving VWGA to join Škoda Auto as its new board member for Sales and Marketing. 

Biene will be succeeded by Christiane Zorn, who will take over as the new Chairperson and Managing Director of VWGA.

Biene was the first woman to be appointed to these positions at VWGA in November 2022. 

The appointment was her second spell at VWGA following her tenure as the Head of Volkswagen Passenger Brand from October 2018 until August 2020.

During this period, Biene steered the Volkswagen brand to achieve a record market share of 20.4% in 2019.

Under Biene’s leadership, Volkswagen’s manufacturing plant in Kariega achieved its highest production volume of 167,084 units in 2024. 

That same year, the company announced a R4 billion investment to produce a third model, the Tengo, at Kariega. 

Biene also served as the President of the Association of African Automotive Manufacturers from October 2023 until July 2026.

“It has been an honour to lead and work with such a great and resilient team,” Biene said. 

“Despite the challenges facing both the automotive industry and our company, we have achieved many milestones worth celebrating.” 

“The early launch of the Tengo ranks highly amongst these achievements for what it will bring to Plant Kariega production and our SUV sales offensive plans in South Africa and other markets on the African continent.”

Biene will hand the reins to Zorn on 1 October 2026. Zorn is currently the Vice President of Region Overseas at Porsche AG. 

Zorn has 20 years of experience in the automotive industry, having joined BMW in 2013 after several years as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group. 

Her tenure at BMW included roles in Munich and Beijing. From March 2020, she held management roles at Audi, including Head of Sales for China, Head of Product Marketing, and Head of Product Strategy.

“I am excited to join Volkswagen Group Africa and play my part in driving the future of Volkswagen in Africa with the team,” Zorn said.