Hyundai Motor Company has appointed Jin (James) Kim as its new vice president and head of operations in Africa and the Middle East.

Kim is succeeding Tom Lee, who is assuming a new leading role in the company’s headquarters in Korea.

In his new role, Kim will work collaboratively with the local team and distributors in market to promote the company’s core values.

These span customer service initiatives, challenging new opportunities, building strong local teams and collaborating with global markets in order to promote the wider business.

Kim brings expertise to the region with nearly 30 years’ experience within Hyundai Motor Company, said a statement.

Since 2013, he has been in charge of sales for Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and Middle East in Seoul and under his leadership Hyundai has reported three consecutive years of sales growth in the region, it said.

“Taking over the role of vice president and head for Africa and Middle East presents a new and exciting opportunity - I look forward to working closely with the team and business partners across the region to build on our success,” said Kim.

“We have a number of dynamic new model launches planned for the rest of this year, so I've arrived at an important time when the company is poised to further strengthen its performance across the region,” he added. - TradeArabia News Service