Volkswagen has appointed Matt Benns as its new head of customer quality and network development.

Benns joins from Seat, where he was head of customer quality and network development for four years. Prior to that, he held franchising roles for Seat, and before joining the Volkswagen Group in 2007, he worked for Mazda for seven years.

In his new role Benns will be responsible for customer quality management, people development and network development. This means he will lead the team that continues to improve the quality of services offered to Volkswagen customers and maintain Volkswagen’s position as a brand with a strong retailer network.

Benns said: “I’m very much looking forward to joining the Volkswagen brand and to working with the CQ&ND team. We have a strong platform to move this area of the business forward and I’m excited about getting started.”

Volkswagen director Alison Jones said: “I’m looking forward to making the most of Matt’s in-depth understanding of driving retailer profitability, and working with him to capitalise on our network and people development activities.  His proven ability to develop new concepts that put customers at the heart of our decision-making will be vital as we continue to shape this agenda.”