Cupra appoints local Volkswagen Group trio to top jobs

Ahead of its Australian launch next year, Cupra has appointed three top execs to manage operations Down Under.

All three roles, which include head of product, head of sales and head of network development, have been filled from within Volkswagen Group Australia.

Jeff Shafer has been appointed to role of head of product, joining from the Volkswagen Passenger Vehicles brand, where he has led the product marketing team for the past five years.

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Jeff Shafer has been appointed head of product

An industry veteran, Shafer has also held senior positions with other global car brands such as Kia, as well as a tenure at Toyota's global headquarters in Japan.

Meanwhile, Anoosh Saffari has been appointed as Cupra's head of sales, coming from Škoda Australia where he was responsible for the Victorian, South Australian and Tasmanian sales regions.

According to Cupra, Saffari has extensive retail experience, having previously set up a number of award-winning dealership groups in the luxury segment.

Finally, Dane Harvey has been appointed as the head of network development, coming from nine years of experience working within the Volkswagen Group; most recently working with Volkswagen's eastern region dealer network.

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Ben Wilks, newly appointed Brand Director, says the trio will bring the "brand to life in Australia"

Harvey has also held sales positions for the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brands and has previous experience in the architecture industry.

Ben Wilks, Cupra Australia's recently appointed boss, was thrilled with the new appointments.

"Our brand roll-out plans are already in full swing, and it's great to welcome Jeff, Anoosh and Dane to the growing Cupra tribe," Wilks said.

"Their experience, knowledge and passion…will be vital to our success in the coming years, and I look forward to working with all of them to bring this exciting brand to life in Australia,” he added.

The trio will commence work with Cupra in the coming weeks, with more key positions to be announced shortly.

The Cupra brand will launch officially in Australia in the middle of 2022, with a starting line-up comprised of the Leon hatch, Ateca SUV, and Formentor cross-over SUV, with a range of performance and plug-in hybrid powertrains.