Porsche Cars Canada Names New Operation and Marketing Execs

Veterans to take on new roles in the brand's Canadian operations in the coming weeks

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Feb. 5, 2016 /CNW/ - Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd. is pleased to welcome Margareta Mahlstedt-Karayiannis as its new Marketing Director, effective February 22, 2016. Mahlstedt brings to PCL a wealth of relevant experience to the brand. She joins from Volvo Cars Canada where she had been Vice-President of Marketing since 2013. Prior to that, she held various Marketing and Brand communication roles with Rogers and BMW Group Canada, among others. Mahlstedt will carry the torch from incumbent Alexander Schildt, who is returning to Germany in early March. 

The brand also announces the appointment of Thomas Illner to the role of Director, Network Development effective March 1, 2016. For the past five years, Illner held the position of After Sales Director for Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd. Since he joined from Porsche Switzerland in 2010, Porsche's After Sales business volume in Canada has almost doubled.

Illner will be taking over from John Cappella, who has been chosen to become Managing Director of the future Porsche Centre North Toronto (PCNT). Leading up to an anticipated opening in 2017, Cappella's new role will be fully dedicated to setting up and establishing Porsche's fourth dealership in the Greater Toronto Area. As released in November 2015, PCNT will be located in the northeast corner of highways 401 and 404. It will share the site with the brand's new national head office and training centre.

The successor in the Director, After Sales role will be Roberto De Prisco who comes from Porsche Switzerland. Over the last 20 years, De Prisco has collected both broad and deep experience in the areas of After Sales, Operations, Customer Care, Technical Training, and Technical Support. As a dual Swiss and Italian citizen, he is fluent in German, Italian, English and French. He also joins effective March 1, 2016.

Porsche Cars Canada, an independent subsidiary of Porsche AG, imports and distributes Porsche vehicles in Canada. The company employs a team of 34 in sales, aftersales, finance, marketing, and public relations. Last calendar year, Porsche sold an unprecedented 6,413 units in Canada, up 30% over 2014.