Kia has appointed Sanka De Silva as its new head of dealer and direct marketing.

De Silva joins Kia from his previous role as regional sales manager at Nissan. De Silva has worked in various marketing and sales roles at Nissan, including EV product and performance manager.

De Silva said: “I am pleased to be joining the leadership team of a brand that is organically growing at such an impressive rate.

“I look forward to working with and continuing the strong relationship that Kia has with the dealer network, who continually deliver impressive results.”

David Hilbert, Kia director of marketing, said De Silva’s appointment was particularly crucial as the brand looks to launch two new plug-in hybrids.