TITLE: EVP Sales & Marketing

COMPANY: Seat

BASED: Martorell, Spain

AGE: 53

NATIONALITY: British

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

The son of a car dealer, Griffiths started working in the family business before studying international management and German in Leeds, England. Griffiths’ career has closely been linked to the Volkswagen Group. He joined Audi in 1989, then worked at Seat between 1991 and 1993 before returning to Audi. He moved to Seat again in 2016 to head sales and marketing. At Audi, Griffiths helped the brand to become the premium segment leader in its German home market and in Europe as a whole.

REASON FOR WINNING

Griffiths has helped Seat to increase sales and become profitable after years of losses. Last year Seat’s global vehicle sales rose 11 percent to a record 517,600. Its operating profit was up by a third to 254 million euros. Since January, the British executive is also CEO of Seat’s Cupra business, which is now a stand-alone unit selling high-performance, electrified models that will help Seat boost profits and reduce average CO2 emissions.