JOHN French returns to head Skoda sales this month as head of sales operations for Skoda UK after three years working in China as regional sales and marketing strategy manager for Volkswagen Passenger Cars.

French, who has been with Volkswagen Group for 15 years, returns to a brand he knows well, having previously worked in the Skoda planning team for over three years (2005 – 2008). He replaces Martin Barrow-Starkey, who leaves the brand to take up the role of head of retailer learning services at Volkswagen Group UK.

Alasdair Stewart, Skoda UK’s brand director, said: “It is a pleasure to welcome John back on board. I believe John’s wealth of experience will help us move the brand forward.”

French commented: “It’s an exciting time to be joining Skoda. With a refreshed model line-up, including a new Fabia and a new Superb introduced this year, the brand has gone from strength to strength.

“We passed a million sales globally last year and in the UK we have clear ambitions to continue our growth. I look forward to working with the wider ŠKODA team and a fantastic retailer network in order to realise these ambitions.”