Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Appoints Bettina Plangger As Vice President

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has announced a new senior leadership appointment, with Bettina Plangger taking on the role of vice president. Plangger was also named marketing and sales director for Mercedes-Benz Cars Malaysia & SEA II, effective April 17. "This is an opportune time because the Malaysian automotive industry is undergoing dynamic progress, particularly as the country moves towards electric mobility." 

"I'm excited and truly geared up in engaging with our leadership team locally and globally, aligning with our Ambition 2039 towards the future of mobility, in support of the sustainable and digitisation of the Malaysian automotive market," Plangger said in a statement. Her last position was the head of sales of passenger cars for Munich in Germany. She began her career in product management at Daimler AG in 2000. Following that, Plangger held a variety of marketing and sales positions, including market management responsibility for the Eastern European markets of Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Serbia.  She was appointed as Fleetboard's head of sales in 2016, where she was responsible for 35 markets worldwide.

She took over Mercedes-Benz's owned retail in Augsburg in 2018 and played a key role in implementing the new retail brand concept across all customer touchpoints.  During her tenure, she was instrumental in implementing the brand's luxury strategy and led her team to top sales and customer satisfaction rankings. Plangger's appointment takes effect because the incumbent, Michael Jopp, has finished his tenure in Malaysia since joining Mercedes-Benz Malaysia in 2019.