Skoda promotes marketer and promises record spend

By Daniel Farey-Jones, marketingmagazine.co.uk, Monday, 17 January 2011 05:25PM

Skoda has promoted Heidi Cartledge to head of marketing and pledged to spend more on promoting its brand in 2011 than in any previous year.

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Cartledge will lead the eight-strong brand and product communications team, taking responsibility for media planning and buying, advertising, digital, retailer support, events and sponsorship. She will report to Robert Hazelwood, Skoda UK director.

She has been promoted from national communications manager, a position she took in January 2010 after seven years as marketing communications manager for the Volkswagen brand.

The last head of marketing at Skoda, Chris Newitt, left the company to Tata's Jaguar Land Rover as UK sales director in October.

Cartledge has worked on both the agency and client side, starting her career with Royal Mail before moving to Proximity London, a London advertising agency, where she worked for five years.  

Hazelwood said: "Interest in this role was very high and Heidi’s appointment follows an extensive candidate review for this important position.  

"We have committed to major growth plans in the UK during the next three years and this will see us investing significantly in marketing and brand communications.  

"We will be spending more to promote the Škoda brand in 2011 than any previous year in Skoda UK’s history."

This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk