Martina Biene

Chairperson and MD Volkswagen Group Africa

Martina Biene is the Chairperson and Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA). Biene assumed this position on 1 November 2022.      

Biene has over 20 years of automotive industry experience. She began her career at Volkswagen in 2001 and held multiple roles at Volkswagen’s head office in Wolfsburg, Germany.  

In 2018, she was assigned to Volkswagen Group Africa in the role of Head of Volkswagen Passenger Car Brand. Her responsibilities included Sales, Marketing, Dealer Network Management, Product Marketing and Volkswagen Motorsport. In 2019, Biene steered the Volkswagen brand to achieve a 20.4% market share, the brand’s highest market share since 1996.  

Following her tenure in South Africa, Biene returned to Germany in 2020 to take up the position of Head of Small & Compact Vehicles Product Line - Volkswagen Passenger Cars. She held this role until her appointment as the Chairperson and Managing Director of VWGA.  

In October 2023, Martina Biene was also appointed as President of the Association of African Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM). AAAM is the only African body focusing on the expansion of the automotive industry across the continent, by working with governments to shape policies that will attract investment to unlock the economic potential of the continent.