Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Announces Torsten Mueller as New Chief Executive

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has today announced that Torsten Mueller will join the company as its Chief Executive Officer.  Mueller will assume the role at the end of March 2010 from Tom Purves, who will retire after 25 years service with the BMW Group.

During his more than 20 years with the Group, Mueller has held a number of management positions in the Sales and Marketing Division and was instrumental in brand and product management for MINI between 2000 and 2003.  He successfully re-launched the MINI brand and internationally re-established this quintessentially British marque as the first premium small car brand.  In 2004 he assumed responsibility for central marketing and brand management at BMW. Mueller has been running BMW global product management since April 2008, as well as parts of its after-sales business.

Mueller will continue to report to Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Group Sales and Marketing and also Chairman of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Ian Robertson said, “Torsten has many years of solid experience in the fields of brand and product management as well as marketing. He is the perfect candidate to lead Rolls-Royce Motor Cars into a period of expansion – having not only a successful track record as a manager, but also a feel for the unique attributes of a traditional brand.”

Robertson also took the opportunity to thank Tom Purves: “Tom’s breadth of experience and successful track record over many years with the Group have proven extremely valuable to Rolls-Royce as the company moved through an important stage of its development. He has successfully overseen the launch of our new Ghost model series and hands over the helm of a company in excellent shape for the future. I wish him the very best for a well-deserved retirement.”

Purves said, “It has been a privilege and an honour to lead Rolls-Royce, particularly at this exciting point in the company’s history. I have always felt a special connection with Rolls-Royce, having started my career in the car division and it is very special to be retiring having headed this great company. I have every confidence in the future success of the company in the hands of its new CEO.”

Purves succeeded Robertson as CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in July 2008. His previous posts included more than nine years as President of BMW North America, LLC and head of the sales region there, where he successfully managed BMW Group activities throughout North and South America. Under his tenure sales and market share more than doubled. He began his career in the automotive industry in 1966 as an apprentice engineer at Rolls-Royce in Crewe before joining BMW Group in 1985.