Kristian Aquilina (right) with NZmotor sport great Greg Murphy.
Kristian Aquilina’s success in New Zealand has landed him the top marketing role at Holden in Australia – but he’s still holding the reins at Holden New Zealand, too.
In a move that shocked some motor industry professionals in Australia, marketing director Mark Harland quit Holden – and General Motors – on the back of Holden’s ladder-sliding March sales figures, and low interest in the new Commodore and the new Equinox SUV.
In contrast, Aquilina’s record since he moved to NZ in 2015 has shown consistent sales of Holden products, and the company is in a strong third position in the sales charts in NZ, compared to its slip to 10th place in Aussie.
Holden CEO and MD Mark Bernard was quick to praise Kristian when he announced his appointment, saying Kristian had “advanced the Holden brand in New Zealand, with strong sales results”.
The innovative advertising campaigns championed by Kristian and his team in New Zealand are seen as key to this, and it is expected Australia will follow suit, a fact borne out by Mark Bernard’s statement in a letter to Australian dealers announcing Kristian’s appointment: “We’re focused on driving enquiry and increasing foot traffic into your dealerships. Marketing is critical to achieving this.”
The youthful and likeable Aquilina is the first “Holden man” to be appointed executive director of marketing at Holden since John Elsworth left to take over as COO of Hyundai in Australia six years ago, Elsworth having been followed by a series of appointees from outside Holden.
Kristian started his career with GM Holden in Australia in 1997 in corporate affairs, where he helped to launch the VT Commodore, then from 2001 he moved across to vehicle sales, service and marketing.
He was then appointed sales manager for Latin America, Africa and the Middle East in 2003, working with the Chevrolet brand in Brazil and Dubai.
In 2005 he became the national manager for government relations and public policy and in 2007 moved into a role as export sales manager, working with Pontiac in the USA, and Buick in China.
In 2008 he returned to Australia where he was appointed to the role of marketing manager for large cars, SUVs and LCVs, before becoming Holden’s zone manager for Victoria and Tasmania in 2013.
As mentioned he will continue to oversee operations for Holden and Isuzu Trucks in New Zealand as managing director in addition to his new marketing responsibilities in Australia. He will be based at Holden HQ in Melbourne.
