There’s been a bit of a shake up at Aston Martin Europe’s leadership. Mark Kenworthy has vacated his position as President and taken on a new role as Head of Global Dealer Network at the Aston Martin headquarters in Gaydon.

Ulrich Schäfer, the former Managing Director at Polaris, will take over from Kensworthy as President of Aston Martin Europe. Born in Trier, Germany, Schäfer has been in the automotive and motorcycle industry for brands like BMW, Indian Motorcycles, Renault and KIA for more than 20 years.

Speaking of his appointment, Schäfer said, “I am delighted to be joining Aston Martin at what is an exciting time for the brand. I’m looking forward to working with the team and our partners in developing the brand for the future.”

He held various senior management positions in marketing and brand management, dealer development and sales while at the aforementioned companies. A learned man with an MBA from Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany and a degree in International Economics from the University of Sorbonne in Paris, France, Schäfer has his work cut out for him.

Regarding the new appointment, President and Chief Executive Officer Dr Andy Palmer said, “I want to personally thank Mark Kenworthy for his support job in the region, under his direction, Aston Martin in Europe has doubled the total sales on a year-to-year basis, significantly extending our market share.”

He later added, “We are delighted to welcome Ulrich Schäfer to the Aston Martin team. He brings profound knowledge and a wealth of experience by serving more than 20 years in the automotive industry. We are looking forward to working with Ulrich in delivering the Second Century plan.”

Aston Martin has been making several big changes lately, which include a partnership with AMG that will see the former use the latter’s engines to power its cars. Let’s hope these big decisions will help the Gaydon based automaker, get back it’s winning ways.