Kia Motors Announces Overseas Business Reorganization

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Regional headquarters for North America and Europe established
Reorganization to support sustainable future growth of the company
Regional HQs empowered to swiftly respond to market trends and customer needs
Company aims to complete global reorganization by 2019

Kia Motors Corporation today announced organizational changes within its overseas operations, as the company grants greater autonomy to each region in an effort to spur sustainable growth and enhance innovation. As a first step in its global business reorganization, the company has launched Kia Motors North America Headquarters and Kia Motors Europe Headquarters, effective July 2. More overseas markets will be transformed into regional headquarters as the company aims to complete its global reorganization by 2019. These changes are in line with last October’s restructuring at Kia’s headquarters in Seoul, which saw the establishment of a Global Operations Division. Each regional unit’s responsibilities will extend across every aspect of the business, ranging from product planning, marketing, sales, and manufacturing. It will operate with greater integration, to actively respond to rapidly evolving market trends and customers’ needs. Each regional headquarters will also have functional divisions for planning, finance, products and customer experience, so it can secure and optimize more effective decision-making systems within each region. The regional groups, in close collaboration with corporate headquarters, will play a hub role to lead continuous innovation within each market and advance Kia’s global business operations to the next level. The newly-launched Kia Motors North America Headquarters will encompass Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia and Kia Motors Mexico (manufacturing), the company’s production hubs for the Americas, and three sales units – Kia Motors America, Kia Motors Canada and Kia Motors Mexico (sales). The newly established regional headquarters will be led by executive vice president Byung-kwon Rhim. Kia Motors Europe Headquarters will expand Kia Motors Europe (KME)’s current role beyond sales operations, bringing under its wing Kia Motors Slovakia (KMS). Yong-kew Park, who is currently senior vice president for European Operations Division at corporate headquarters, will be promoted to executive vice president to lead the unit.