Appointments across ditch

Mercedes-Benz Australia-Pacific has promoted Brad Kelly to the role of general manager of sales for its car division from April 1. He replaces Richard Emery, who left in February to become managing director and chief executive of Nissan Australia. Previously, Kelly was the Australia-Pacific national manager of retail sales, a role he started in 2011. Between 2008 and 2011, he was national manager of corporate sales. Kelly will report to Horst von Sanden, who was recently promoted to Mercedes-Benz’s Australia-Pacific CEO and MD of Mercedes-Benz Cars. “We are excited to appoint Brad to this role,” says Von Sanden. “He has been central to our growth strategy with our dealer partners. His move into this role will give increased focus on our growth in the years ahead.” Von Sanden replaced president and CEO Juergen Sauer earlier this year, while retaining his responsibilities as MD of Mercedes-Benz Cars in Australasia. Last year, the brand’s passenger cars and SUVs outsold BMW in Australia. They grew by 23 per cent – largely on the back of strong sales at its range’s lower end.