BMW appoints new marketing lead as Tony Sesto departs the auto brand
BMW Australia has appointed Alex McLean as its new general manager for BMW marketing, replacing the outgoing Tony Sesto.
Sesto has decided to leave the company after 12 years, with McLean stepping into the role following his most recent role as head of marketing for BMW Mini Australia and New Zealand.
The change came into effect on 1 January.
McLean is an interal promotion, moving from the BMW Mini brand
The brand said that under his leadership, Mini “transformed its digital strategy and customer journey that included the first online vehicle purchase for BMW Group in Australia.”
Wolfgang Buechel, CEO for BMW Group Australia, said: “I look forward to welcoming Alex as a member of our management team and working closely with him to further develop the BMW brand. He is an experienced executive with knowledge of the BMW Group brands and strong marketing expertise, both of which play a crucial role in achieving our goal to strengthen our brand’s position in the Australian premium automotive segment.”
On his promotion, McLean said that he is excited by the opportunity to move across “to work with one of the greatest global brands”.
“The BMW roundel is steeped in motoring history, with more than 100 years of stories to tell, yet it has an incredible future orientated approach focused on sustainable mobility. I look forward further enhancing the brand during my tenure and launching new products and technologies that start with the fully electric BMW iX3, iX and i4.”
The outgoing Tony Sesto
Sesto was approached for comment regarding his departure, however had not responded at time of publishing.
During his tenure, Mini also became “the first premium automotive brand in Australia to advertise on TikTok”.
As GM for marketing, McLean’s duties will include him accelerating the growth of the brand, “while driving awareness for the growing number of electrified vehicles and new technologies”.
Tony Sesto spoke on the Mumbrellacast in 2021 about the brand and the acceleration of electric vehicles in the Australian market, where there has been a comparatively slow uptake.
Buechel also thanked Sesto for his achievements during his tenure.
“I would like to thank Tony for his outstanding leadership and contribution to our business and collaborating with our 47 dealer partners across the nation to transform how we interact with our customers.”
The brand said that McLean’s successor at BMW Mini will be announced in due course.
BMW also said that the appointment follows a strong 2021, claiming to be the “strongest growing German luxury automotive brand with 24,891vehicles registered — which represented a 5.8 per cent increase on the 2020 result”.
Got a tip?
Calum Jaspan was news editor at Mumbrella, based in Melbourne. He was also the producer and host of the Mumbrellacast. He left Mumbrella in May 2023.
Linkedin
Have your say