Kuala Lumpur. Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has named Amanda Zhang as the CEO & President of Mercedes-Benz Cars Malaysia & Head of Region, Mercedes-Benz Cars SEA II effective 1st of August 2023. Zhang’s appointment marks a progression of the current CEO, Sagree Sardien, who will advance to the position of Head of Region Overseas, Mercedes-Benz Cars in Stuttgart.
During her tenure, Sardien is instrumental in steering the brand’s global vision to build the world’s most desirable cars with sustainability as a guiding principle, locally and within the SEA II region. Sardien leaves behind a legacy of leading the electric mobility agenda in Malaysia, having introduced a fleet of world-class luxury EVs from Mercedes-Benz, including the locally assembled Mercedes-Benz EQS 500 4MATIC. Under Sardien’s leadership, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia further enhances its offerings and luxurious customer experience through digital transformation in the implementation of Retail of the Future agency model and strengthening the brand’s corporate citizenship through various community initiatives.
Sagree Sardien, Head of Region Overseas, Mercedes-Benz Cars said, “We are thrilled to welcome Amanda Zhang to the helm of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia. Her extensive leadership experience and strategic acumen will undoubtedly further support to drive our company forward in the dynamic Malaysian market. I am confident that under her guidance, the company will continue to flourish and uphold its reputation for innovation and excellence.”
Amanda Zhang, CEO & President, Mercedes-Benz Cars Malaysia & Head of Region, Mercedes-Benz Cars SEA II said, “I am truly honoured to take on this new role in Malaysia and SEA II. Having been part of Mercedes-Benz’s remarkable journey in the Central & Eastern Europe Cluster, I am now eager to lead the Mercedes-Benz Malaysia team and join forces with our retail partners to continue our pursuit of excellence for this dynamic and vibrant market. I firmly believe that innovation, customer-centricity, and sustainable growth are the cornerstones of success, and I am committed to fostering a culture that embraces these values at every level of the organisation.”
Prior to this, Zhang served as the CEO at Mercedes-Benz Romania overseeing four business divisions. During her tenure, Zhang and her team generated significant momentum, achieving a robust double-digit growth in both sales and customer services. She also effectively implemented the electrification strategy within a demanding market landscape and played a pivotal role in revitalizing the dealer network in the Romanian market.
After joining Region Europe in 2014, she built up the regional product management and marketing team as well as multiple regional hubs which operations are the foundation of today’s Experience Center within Region Europe. With her digital expertise, she also successfully ramped up Customer Journey Operations, a Salesforce CRM Hub based in Bucharest for the European markets in the recent year.
Zhang embarked on her career journey through Daimler’s International Management Associate Programme over 20 years ago. Since then, she has successfully managed intricate international projects, including the notable “Journey to China,” which involved relocating all wholesale operations from Hong Kong to Beijing.