Audi do Brasil announces Daniel Rojas as new CEO and President as of February 2022. With over 25 years of experience in the automotive industry, the executive has been with Audi Group since 2015 and, specifically in Brazil, since 2019, when he took on the role of sales director for the national operation. He succeeds Johannes Roscheck, who returns to AUDI AG in Ingolstadt, Germany, where he will take over the responsibility of corporate controlling and finance.
Daniel Rojas will have the mission to keep and strengthen the company’s sustainable growth achieved over the last years. The Chilean executive will also continue the development of the brand’s electrification in the country, the evolution of digitalization processes and customer relations, the strengthening of the relationship with the dealer network and the consolidation of vehicle manufacturing in São José dos Pinhais, in Paraná.
According to Rojas, “the industry is experiencing a transformative moment worldwide, in which the challenges are as big as the opportunities, and Audi is increasingly assuming its role of leading sustainable mobility. Together with the entire qualified team of the brand in the country and an increasingly close cooperation with our dealer network, we will strengthen the solid foundation that we have built in recent years to continue the sustainable growth, the new digitalization processes, the new forms of customer relations and the resumption of vehicle manufacturing in the country”. He complements: “I also want to thank Johannes for all the work done in recent years and for the trust he has always placed in me and in all of Audi’s employees in Brazil”.
The Brazilian operation has been under the leadership of Johannes Roscheck since 2017, which was the Austrian executive’s second time in the country – the first was in the late 1990s, when he led the construction of the company’s plant in Paraná. After five years marked by a period of complete renewal of the product portfolio and business restructuring, he returns to the company’s headquarters in Germany to assume the position of head of corporate controlling and finance.
For Johannes Roscheck, “Brazil is a special place and I am sure that a part of me will always remain here. In my second time in the country, I have had a challenging and exciting journey, which ends in a way that makes me very proud. This includes the conclusion of the launch of 30 new products in the last three years and the announcement of the resumption of local production, in addition to the fact that we have achieved all the proposed goals. This was only possible thanks to the joint efforts of the dealers and the entire Audi do Brasil team, whom I thank immensely. I am returning to Germany and looking forward to take my new position within the group and I wish Daniel all the success in this new phase”.
Daniel Rojas: 25 years of experience in automotive industry
Born in Santiago, Chile´s capital, Daniel Rojas is graduated in Business Administration by Universidad del Desarollo (Chile) and holds an MBA by California State University (EUA). He has more than 25 years of professional experience in the automotive industry, with previous positions on Volkswagen, Ford and Nissan.
His history with Audi began in 2015, when he took over the management of Audi Chile. He held this position until 2019, when he came to Brazil to become the sales director of Audi do Brasil, responsible for the areas of sales, direct sales, used-vehicle management, fleet and network development.
In three years in this position, he was directly involved in the introduction of 30 new models in the market, the evolution of digitalization processes and even new business models, such as the Audi Luxury Signature subscription car program. In February 2022 Daniel Rojas will assume, at the age of 48, the position of CEO and President of Audi do Brasil.
Johannes Roscheck: local production was the last announcement
With a degree in Industrial Engineering and a PhD in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Johannes Roscheck has almost 30 years of experience in the automotive sector. Within Audi, he has held leadership positions in Hungary, United States, Germany and Brazil, in addition to having worked for the Volkswagen Group and consulting companies. The confirmation of the restart of production at Audi do Brasil´s plant in São José dos Pinhais was Johannes Roscheck’s last official announcement ahead of the Brazilian operation.
SOURCE: Audi
