South African David Powels has been a member of the Brand Board of Management of Volkswagen with responsibility for Finance and the Brand Group Core, since 1 October 2024.
He holds a degree in Business Science from the Nelson Mandela University of Port Elizabeth and also qualified as a Chartered Accountant in South Africa. He speaks English, German and Portuguese.
Powels has more than 30 years of international experience with the Volkswagen Group. He began his career at Volkswagen South Africa in 1989 and in 2007 was appointed CEO of Volkswagen Group South Africa, after working in Germany and Brazil.
In 2015, he became President and CEO of Volkswagen Brazil and the following year also took on responsibility for the South America, Central America and Caribbean regions.
In 2017, Powels moved to China, where he was First Vice President and Executive Vice President of the Commercial division of SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Co., a joint venture between SAIC Motor and the Volkswagen Group.
Most recently, from September 2021, Powels has held the roles of CFO and CIO at SEAT S.A.
