Hans Blesse replaces Pieter de Waal at BMW Mottorad USA

According to a short BMW news release, after three and a half very successful years as BMW Motorrad Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Hans Blesse (51) will be taking over as Vice President BMW Motorrad USA as of April 1, 2012.

For the record, Pieter de Waal (60), has held this position since 2008. As he finishes his successful career after 18 years with the BMW Group and goes into retirement, Hans Blesse's successor will be announced at a later stage.

Hans Blesse began his BMW career in 1987 with BMW Canada, which was newly founded at that time. After holding various positions with BMW Canada, he moved to BMW Spain in 2005 where he was responsible for the Aftersales Division up until August 2008.

In September 2008 his career took him to Munich, where he became Executive Vice President of BMW Motorrad Sales and Marketing. During the period in which he was responsible for worldwide motorcycle sales, his greatest achievement was BMW Motorrad's historic sales record in 2011.

Hendrik von Kuenheim, General Director BMW Motorrad: "Hans Blesse is the ideal successor to Pieter de Waal. Having been responsible for BMW Motorrad sales and marketing worldwide, he has gained a lot of experience in recent years which he will now be able to put to use in his new position. Our aim is to significantly increase motorcycle sales in the coming years and expansion of our market presence in the USA is crucial to our growth plans. I should like to thank Pieter de Waal most sincerely for all the work he has done to strengthen the position of BMW Motorrad in the USA and wish him all the very best for the future."

Hans Blesse: "The USA is currently the third largest sales market for BMW Motorrad and is a strategically important market for future growth. I look forward to this new challenge and the opportunity of continuing to build on Pieter de Waal's success."

The BMW Group

The BMW Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI, Husqvarna Motorcycles and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 25 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2011, the BMW Group sold about1.67 million cars and more than 113,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2010 was euro 4.8 billion on revenues amounting to euro 60.5 billion. At 31 December 2010, the BMW Group had a workforce of approximately 95,500 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy. As a result of its efforts, the BMW Group has been ranked industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the last seven years.