James Douglas named as head of sales operations at VW UK

James Douglas has moved to a new role within the Volkswagen Group as head of sales operations for VW UK.

Having held the equivalent role in VW’s commercial vehicle division since 2017, Douglas replaces Patrick McGillycuddy who has left the group.

Andrew Savvas, director of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, said: “I am very pleased to welcome James to Volkswagen Passenger Cars, in this vital role at a pivotal time in the Volkswagen story. James’ impressive work in Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will stand him in good stead as we continue our journey to greater electrification, digitisation and connected cars.”

Douglas has worked in Volkswagen Group for eight years, joining the organisation as head of fleet for Audi, before taking on the role as head of sales operations for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in 2017.

He has more than 20 years of experience in the automotive industry, including 13 years at Nissan GB where he held board-level roles as corporate sales director and LCV sales and marketing director.

In the last four years, Douglas is credited for enhancing the operational capability of the VWCV network and initiating a fleet agency model for the brand.

He said: “I couldn’t be more excited to join Volkswagen Passenger Cars right now – the brand is at a crucial stage in its history, firmly on its way to transitioning towards an electric future thanks to the ID3 and ID4.

Our retailers have played a key part in this, helping to propel the brand to the top of the sales charts in March 2021, with consistently high performance, and fantastic customer focus. I can’t wait to work with them all and continue this success as even more exciting models arrive and continue to delight our customers.”