Seat has appointed Jurgen Stackmann as its new chairman as James Muir steps down to take on a new senior position within VW Group.

Stackmann will take up the chairman role on May 1.

Stackmann qualified as a bank clerk and holds a degree in business administration. He began his professional career with Ford in 1989, where he held various posts in Germany and the UK, including marketing director for German plants, vice president marketing at Ford Europe in London and finally general manager sales and marketing for German plants.

Stackmann joined the Volkswagen Group in 2010, initially holding responsibility for sales and marketing at Škoda. Stackmann was placed in charge of marketing at the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand from September 1, 2012.

Muir became chairman of Seat in September 2009, where he has been “instrumental” in restructuring the company.