Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt Ltd (VWGSIPL) have announced the appointment of Kamal Basu as head of marketing and public relations, effective January 1, 2015.

Basu, who joined Skoda Auto India as marketing head in 2012, oversaw product marketing, lead management, communication and media, and also worked closely with sales, aftersales and dealer network teams. In addition to his work in automobile marketing, he has a very strong background in advertising, having spent close to two decades working with top-level agencies like RK Swamy BBDO, Rediffusion Y&R and with Saatchi & Saatchi as CEO.

Basu, who has done his marketing management from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, said: “I’m happy to have contributed to Skoda’s performance in India over the last three years, and am happy to take up the new challenge of bringing fresh thought and new ideas to Volkswagen India’s marketing effort.”

Commenting on the appointment, Michael Mayer, director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, said: “We are pleased to welcome Kamal on board here at Volkswagen India. Kamal is a seasoned marketing professional and I’m sure he will be a strong and valuable addition to our team. Kamal will play a key role in further developing the strengths of the Volkswagen brand in India.”

Volkswagen currently sells the Polo, Vento and Jetta cars in India.