BMW Group today announced the appointment of Yangye Kris Joo as the new president & CEO of BMW Group Thailand, effective 1 February 2026. She will succeed Rene Gerhard, who will move to a new position as managing director, BMW Group Asia, based in Singapore.
Joo has more than 18 years of experience in brand management, sales, corporate communications, and sales channel development at BMW Group Korea for both BMW and MINI brands. Currently serving as the Head of Brand Management, she is responsible for marketing communication, product management, CRM and the BMW Driving Center, focused on promoting brand excellence and enhancing customer engagement.
“Kris brings a wealth of experience from her diverse experience with BMW Group Korea,” Ritu Chandy, senior vice president, Sales Region Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, BMW Group, said. “Her extensive knowledge of the automotive market, coupled with her robust background in brand management, sales, and customer engagement, will further enhance our position as Thailand’s leading premium automotive brand.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Rene for his hard work and dedication to the company,” Chandy added. “Thanks to his leadership and teamwork, BMW Group Thailand has reached significant milestones, notably dominating the premium automotive segment for five consecutive years. Rene’s extensive experience in retail and wholesale business, along with his demonstrated success in steering BMW Group Thailand, will prove invaluable in his upcoming regional position where he will manage 14 markets throughout Southeast Asia, South Asia and Pan Pacific regions.”
BMW Group Thailand, a subsidiary of BMW AG, Germany, was established on October 3, 1998. The four entities of BMW Group Thailand are BMW (Thailand) Co Ltd with responsibility for wholesales & marketing of BMW Group products, BMW Manufacturing (Thailand) Co Ltd with responsibility for BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad local production, BMW Leasing (Thailand) Co Ltd with responsibility for financial services offerings to both wholesale and retail customers, and BMW Parts Manufacturing (Thailand) Co Ltd with responsibility for supplying components for the assembly of BMW Motorrad vehicles at BMW Group Manufacturing Thailand’s plant in Rayong.
In 2024, BMW Group Thailand recorded a stable performance with 13,659 BMW and MINI registrations. A total of 12,208 BMW vehicles and 1,451 MINI vehicles were registered last year. BMW Motorrad Thailand maintained its performance in 2024 with 1,011 motorcycle registrations.
On the production side, the BMW Group Manufacturing Thailand plant was founded on BMW Group’s strong belief in the growth potential of Asian markets and Thailand in particular with its unique location, strong manufacturing base, and ready supply of skilled automotive labor, being an automotive hub for ASEAN. On-going investment has been put into the expansion of plant Rayong in terms of assembling processes, aiming to meet growing customer demand.
In addition, with approximately Bt4 billion representing the amount of annual purchasing in Thailand, the BMW Global Purchasing office has been established in Thailand. This is to source various components from local suppliers in Thailand and the broader ASEAN region, in order to supply the entire BMW production network over 30 production sites worldwide.
BMW Group Manufacturing Thailand produces 19 models in Thailand ranging from BMW cars and motorcycles to MINIs.
