Kia Sales (Thailand) Announced Appointments of President and Managing Director

(Bangkok) 20^th June 2024 – Kia Sales (Thailand) Company Limited has announced new appointments to key executive positions, including Mr. Jung Won Kang (Andy Kang) as President and Mr. Kitisorn Punnahitanonda as Managing Director. Both new executives will play a vital part in driving Kia Sales Thailand's overall growth in accordance with the ‘Plan S-5’ corporate strategy, securing the company’s leadership position as a ‘Sustainable Mobility Solutions Provider’, as well as ensuring coverage of the sales and after-sales service network and delivering globally competitive vehicle models to Thai customers.    

Mr. Jung Won Kang also known as ‘Andy Kang’, has served as President of Kia Sales (Thailand) Co., Ltd. since April 2024. He joins the company with 24 years of expertise at Kia’s headquarters and international divisions. His work philosophy focuses on achieving sustainable growth and competitiveness through a customer-centric approach and a people-centered culture that fosters trust and empowerment. He wants to promote a respectful and professional culture within the workplace, as well as enhance partnerships with a network of dealers.

Mr. Kang’s career at Kia Corporation spans two decades and includes sales, sales coordination, global business, corporate planning, and production management. He previously led the North America Division at Kia Corporation’s headquarters before becoming President of Kia Sales Thailand. He was instrumental in expanding and developing the market as an international CEC executive at Kia UK from 2020 to 2023, as well as Head of Sales at Kia Motors Europe from 2019 to 2020. Prior to that, Mr. Kang began his career as an international executive with Kia Australia in 2014, serving as Sales Coordinating Director. From 2011 to 2013, he was the head of the Headquarters’ North America Division, and from 2000 to 2005, he served in Factory Production Management for Kia at the company’s Gwang Ju Plant in South Korea. Mr. Kang holds an MBA from Ross Business School at the University of Michigan.

Mr. Kitisorn Punnahitanonda, also known as ‘Khun Bee,’ has been appointed Managing Director of Kia Sales (Thailand) Co., Ltd., effective April 2024. His new duty includes to lead the Kia Sales Thailand team in sales and after-sales service to support the operation of the dealer network to the highest efficiency and standard. This consists of Kia Sales Thailand’s marketing operations and product planning. As an executive with considerable talents and leadership, Mr. Kitisorn believes that understanding consumer expectations is the key to winning their hearts and achieving a successful future. From 2015 to 2020, Mr. Kitisorn served as the Managing Director of Hitachi Elevator (Thailand), the sole distributor of Hitachi elevator in Thailand. He was Managing Director of Siam Nissan Sales in 2015, with the highlight success in helping Nissan obtain the No.1 CSI in Thailand from JD Power in 2019. In 2010, Mr. Kitisorn served as Siam Nissan Sales’ Assistant Managing Director, overseeing the company’s operations. Mr. Kitisorn joined Siam Motors in 2004 as General Manager of Service and Parts for Siam Nissan Sales, the Siam Motors Group's Nissan retail division. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.

Mr. Jung Won Kang, President of Kia Sales (Thailand) Co., Ltd., remarked “Despite the recline in Thailand’s automotive market due to slow economy in the first half in 2024, the EV market has been growing up to 37% YoY. We, at Kia, see tremendous opportunity in EV market because the customers are quite attentive to new technologies and adaptive to these new trends. Kia has many competitive models globally and will study the Thai market trend closely. Although Kia is quite a new brand in Thailand, it has a strong brand presence in the global market. We will not try to grow quickly in a short period of time using unreasonable approaches. In line with the ‘Plan S-5’ corporate strategy, we aim to secure the company’s leadership position as a ‘Sustainable Mobility Solutions Provider’, as well as ensuring coverage of the sales and after-sales service network and delivering globally competitive and high-quality vehicle models to Thai customers.”   

Mr. Kitisorn Punnahitanonda, Managing Director of Kia Sales (Thailand) Co., Ltd., stated, “I am excited to present products that are innovative, outstanding, and uniquely different in the market, along with providing an experience that exceeds customer expectations. These is our vision to drive Kia Sales Thailand to a sustainable growth in the Thai market.”