Kia has appointed Lawrence Hamilton as its new marketing director.

Lawrence replaces Simon Hetherington who moved to the newly created position of dealer development director.

Hamilton joined Kia in 2004 as general communications manager and has spent the last eight years contributing to the development and awareness of the brand in the UK, including a role as general marketing manager.

Michael Cole, Kia Motors UK managing director, said: “Lawrence is an excellent marketeer with a wealth of automotive experience.

“He has been at the forefront of changing the UK car buying public’s perceptions of Kia for the last few years and will make a great addition to the senior management team – I’m very pleased to welcome Lawrence to his new role.”

Hamilton said the brand had made “significant progress” with its digital marketing strategy for Kia and it will be continuing its focus on the area into the future.