Bentley Motors is currently over 100 years old and is one of the most premier and sought-after auto marques in the world. Luxury is part of the whole Bentley tradition, but thrilling performance is also up there on the British brand’s ‘to-achieve’ list. Based in Crewe, England, Bentley has been churning out some of the best luxury cars in the history of the automobile.
However, as with most companies, there are periodic changes when it comes to the folks working in the upper management. In this case, Bentley Motors recently announced that it has made some changes on an international level. Before we get to the details, you should know that Bentley is one of the most famous and well-liked luxury auto brands in the UAE.
Dr. Karen Lange – Member of the Board for Human Resources
The predecessor of Dr. Karen Lange was Dr. Astrid Fontaine, who leaves Bentley Motors after more than three years. Dr. Fontaine departed Bentley to join Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles as Member of the Board for Human Resources just recently. As for here replacement, Dr. Lange, she used to be a lecturer at the University of Hanover, even having had a stay at the Institute of Industrial Relations at the University of Berkley in California, USA.
Before she joined the world of Bentley Motors and after her teaching career, Dr. Lange finally joined the Volkswagen Group in 2002. During her period with the massive VW Group, Dr. Lange went on to hold various management positions in the Human Resources department, which included Head of Global Assignments back in 2013, before she achieved the position of Head of Human Resources at the Volkswagen joint venture with Northvolt Zwei GmbH & Co. KG in Salzgitter in 2020.
Dr. Astrid Fontaine – Predecessor to Dr. Lange
When it comes to her precursor, Dr. Astrid Fontaine, she was Bentley’s first Member of the Board for People, Digitalization and IT in back January 2018. At the time, she had just moved from Porsche North America, where she was the acting Vice President of Human Resources in Culture and Innovation. At the same time, Dr. Fontaine was also lecturing at the at the Emory University in Atlanta on the topic of digital enterprise.
During her time at Bentley Motors, she and her team worked on the development of a new digital strategy that has seen the piloting of a variety of digital services, along with driving the transformation of business processes and customer solutions, plus introducing Bentley’s first digital technology apprenticeship program. While the world was going through the pandemic, Dr. Fontaine and her team’s work on Bentley’s Crisis Management Team played a big role in keeping things from falling apart. During her time at Bentley Motors, she was the spearhead of the posh brand when it came to sustainable luxury mobility.
Comments from Adrian Hallmark, Chairman and CEO, Bentley Motors:
“I am delighted to welcome Karen to the team. Her near 20-year experience within the Volkswagen Group will be extremely useful to us, especially as we continue to transform the organization for our journey to electrification. I would also like to thank Astrid on behalf of everyone who has worked with her for her significant contribution to Bentley and our Beyond100 strategy. She has left a lasting impression on the entire team and will be greatly missed.”
Bentley Motors in the UAE
Bentley Motors currently sells three different models in the UAE. This includes cars such as the Bentayga, Continental GT, and the Flying Spur. These range in prices between AED 800,000 to over AED 1,600,000, depending on the model and customization level. Since these three cars include a coupe, a convertible, a four-door sedan, and an SUV – Bentley has almost all bases of the luxury automobile covered in the UAE.
