Volkswagen AG is filling two key positions in communications. Pietro Zollino is moving from TRATON GROUP to Volkswagen AG and will take over as Head of Corporate Communications and Deputy Head of Global Group Communications from Nicole Mommsen effective April 1. The corporate communications role comprises media relations, strategy and international communications as well as sustainability and integrity communications. In his new role Pietro Zollino will report to Dr. Sebastian Rudolph, Head of Global Group Communications. Nicole Mommsen has been appointed Head of Global Communications and Sustainability Group Technology at Volkswagen. The role has been newly created and includes communications across Group Technology’s four main pillars: Group Components, PowerCo SE, Volkswagen Group Charging & Energy and Volkswagen’s third-party platform business. It also spans the sustainability activities of the division. As a new member of the Group Technology management team, Nicole Mommsen will report to Thomas Schmall-von Westerholt, Group Board Member for Technology and Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Group Components.
“We are strengthening communications across the board and putting two of our most experienced communications experts in key positions. By doing that, we’re providing the Group’s top priorities with communications focus and speed,” said Sebastian Rudolph, Head of Global Group Communications at Volkswagen Group.
Pietro Zollino in November 2021 took over the role of Head of Group Communications, Governmental Relations & Sustainability at TRATON GROUP, which is majority-owned by Volkswagen. Previously, he held the role of Head of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at TRATON commercial vehicles brand MAN Truck & Bus. Zollino, an Italian native, started his career as a car journalist and head of the test and service department at Motor Presse Stuttgart. In 2002 he moved to Mercedes-Benz Cars as Manager Global Communications. From 2012 onwards, the studied physicist and trained journalist worked for Volkswagen AG. In 2016, Zollino moved to Herndon, Virginia, for the Volkswagen brand as Chief Communications Officer North American Region (USA, Canada and Mexico). Since 2017, as Executive Vice President Communications of the Volkswagen Group of America, he has also been responsible for all communications for Volkswagen in the USA.
Nicole Mommsen joined Volkswagen in August 2020 as Head of Corporate Communications. In January 2021, she was appointed Head of Global Group Communications, reporting directly to former CEO Herbert Diess. After the change at the top of the Group in September 2022, she took on the role of Deputy Head of Global Group Communications and internal Chief Communications Operating Officer, managing the day-to-day business for the communications department. In addition she took over as Head of the enlarged corporate communications team. Before joining Volkswagen, Nicole Mommsen was responsible for communications at Goldman Sachs in German-speaking countries for five years. Previously, she headed the global external communications of the science and technology group Merck in Darmstadt. Nicole Mommsen began her career in 2000 as a journalist with Bloomberg News. From there she moved to Deutsche Post DHL in 2007, where she was in charge of finance, IT and sustainability communications. She then worked four years as a consultant for the strategic communications consultancy Brunswick Group.