Boutin new head of Volkswagen Group Ireland

Volkswagen Group Ireland has appointed Pierre Boutin as its new group managing director and CEO.

He succeeds Carla Wentzel who, after a five-year tenure, moves to Volkswagen Group Poland as the first female CEO in the history of Poland’s automotive sector.

Boutin joined the Volkswagen Group in 2014 and has worked across a variety of roles, including head of Volkswagen Group Russia and Volkswagen Group France.

In his most recent position, as CEO and group MD of Volkswagen Group Canada, he is said to have presided over a period of “unparalleled success”, delivering significant improvements across the business and securing the largest electric vehicle supply chain investment in Canadian history.

Boutin also played a pivotal role in securing Volkswagen Group’s first ever North American EV battery cell gigafactory, in St. Thomas, Ontario.

According to VW, the factory will have a potential production volume of up to 90 gigawatt hours – enough to power around one million EVs a year. Volkswagen, together with the Canadian government, have pledged to invest more than €13 billion in the deal. Construction is due to start this year with production commencing in 2027.

Commenting on his appointment, Boutin said: “I am delighted to join Volkswagen Group Ireland at such an exciting period in automotive history.

“Volkswagen Group is not only the leading car company in Ireland, it is at the forefront of a transformative shift in the automotive landscape as we accelerate towards electric mobility.

“I want to thank Carla for her stewardship of Volkswagen Group Ireland over the past five years.

“Her inspirational leadership steered the business through one of the most challenging periods the industry has witnessed and established Volkswagen Group Ireland as a pioneer in e-mobility, digitalisation, and sustainability.”