Rene GerhardRene Gerhard has been appointed as the Managing Director of BMW Group Asia, effective 1 February 2026. He will succeed Lars Nielsen, who will relocate to Munich to take up a regional strategy role.
Gerhard is currently President and CEO of BMW Group Thailand, a role he has held for nearly two years. He has worked with the BMW Group since 2002, with experience across retail and wholesale operations in Germany before moving to the Asia Pacific region in 2016 as Director of Sales at BMW India.
He later served as Dealer Principal of BMW Sydney and MINI Garage, and subsequently as Director of Sales and Dealer Development at BMW Group Australia. In that role, he led the brand during a period when it achieved the top position in the Australian premium automotive market. In 2024, he moved to Southeast Asia to take on the role of head of BMW Group Thailand.
“I am extremely excited to welcome Rene Gerhard to Singapore, where he can leverage his extensive global sales experience, to lead the diverse and dynamic markets that make up the BMW Group Asia region,” said Ritu Chandy, Senior Vice President, Region Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, BMW Group.
She added that his background across sales, dealer-principal roles, and importer operations gives him a broad understanding of the business.
Lars Nielsen to take up regional strategy role
Lars Nielsen, the current Managing Director of BMW Group Asia, will move to Munich after serving in leadership roles across Thailand, the Middle East and Singapore over the past 11 years. He will take up the newly created position of Head of Sales Steering and Strategy for the Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region.
Lars NielsenDuring his time as Managing Director in Singapore, Nielsen oversaw BMW securing the leading position in the local premium market. He also guided the start of local production in Vietnam and supported the expansion of BMW and MINI operations in Indonesia.
BMW Group Asia currently covers 14 markets, including Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Bangladesh, Nepal, Guam, New Caledonia, Tahiti, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
