Skoda Announces New Head Of Marketing

MILTON KEYNES, UNITED KINGDOM – January 18, 2011: Heidi Cartledge has been promoted to Head of Marketing at Skoda UK, stepping up from her current role as National Communications Manager for the brand.

In her new position, Cartledge will lead the eight-strong team responsible for all Škoda brand and product marketing communications in the UK. Her remit covers media planning and buying, advertising, digital, retailer support, events and sponsorship.

An experienced marketer, Cartledge has worked on both the agency and client side, starting her career with Royal Mail before moving to Proximity London, a London advertising agency, where she worked for five years. She then joined Volkswagen Group in 2003 as Marketing Communications Manager for the Volkswagen brand before taking up the position as Škoda National Communications Manager in January 2010.

Commenting on the appointment, Robert Hazelwood Škoda UK Director, said: “Interest in this role was very high and Heidi’s appointment follows an extensive candidate review for this important position. Heidi proved to be a very strong candidate and her experience will definitely help to move the brand forward. We have committed to major growth plans in the UK during the next three years and this will see us investing significantly in marketing and brand communications. We will be spending more to promote the Škoda brand in 2011 than any previous year in Škoda UK’s history.”

Most recently, Cartledge was responsible for overseeing Škoda UK’s biggest-ever marketing campaign, working with acclaimed creative agency Fallon to produce a new, meaner version of its famous ‘Cake’ TV advertisement from 2007 in order to launch the new Fabia vRS.