BMW names ad industry veteran Althaus as brand management head

FRANKFURT -- BMW has appointed advertising industry veteran Steven F. Althaus as director of brand management and marketing services. He starts tomorrow, Jan. 15.

Althaus, 45, succeeds Uwe Ellinghaus who left BMW Group in September after 14 years with the company.

Althaus will report directly to sales and marketing boss Ian Robertson. "We are delighted to gain an experienced manager like Steven Althaus, who is acknowledged as an expert in the communications sector," Robertson said in a statement.

Althaus has spent nearly 20 years in senior brand management and advertising positions.

Althaus's responsibilities will include strategy, global marketing communications and brand management for the BMW brand and the group's i-brand electric vehicles.

The German national started his career in 1999 as a managing director at ad agency Springer & Jacoby. Between 2002 and 2010, Althaus held several senior positions at German finance and insurance firm Allianz, including head of global brand management.

Prior to joining BMW, Althaus was CEO of German and Austrian operations at the French advertising company Publicis.

Althaus studied business administration at the University of St. Gallen, earning a doctorate from the school in 1995.