HORST VON SANDEN

CEO OF MERCEDES-BENZ AUSTRALIA/PACIFIC AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF MERCEDES-BENZ CARS

AS HIS equivalents at BMW and Audi have rotated through the managerial revolving door, Horst von Sanden has stayed in his post atop Mercedes-benz Australia/ Pacific and driven a restructuring of the Australian luxury market. Von Sanden arrived in Australia from Germany to become marketing manager in 2000 when Benz sold just 13,411 vehicles here. In 2017 that rose to 43,820 vehicles, including trucks and light commercials. It continues to grow while both BMW and Audi sales fell back in 2017. There are international factors relating to this rise. Benz has churned out an everwidening range of cars, SUVS and light commercials, complemented by the tasty AMG sports models Australians have embraced with enthusiasm. But locally, von Sanden and his team decided around the time of the global financial crisis and the launch of the W204 C-class to dramatically improve the value of Benz models via a plan dubbed ‘Customer First’ and that is at the core of this improvement.

There is no doubt von Sanden’s decision to get off the global whirligig and settle in Australia has delivered the long-term stability and vision required to lift the brand to such notable local prominence. Commendably, global HQ in Stuttgart has given him the leeway to run his business his way with his team.

“Horst’s true worth is his ability to stay flexible and make changes,” notes an industry colleague. “He has retained the support of headquarters, built and adjusted his relationships with the dealer network and is always prepared to accept the need for change.

“He is not a natural sales and marketing guy so he makes sure he listens and adjusts. And best of all – and maybe his greatest strength – is zero ego.”