VW President & CEO Keynotes SOI Event

Stefan Jacoby, president and CEO of Volkswagen of America Group, Inc., will be the keynote speaker at the 2009 Spirit of Innovation Awards Luncheon. The luncheon is set for April 29 in the Convention Center.

The Chamber event recognizes the area’s most innovative companies with the Kruesi Award for Innovation and The Early Innovator Award. Past Kruesi recipients range from eSpin Technologies, Inc., to AquaShield, Inc. to U.S. Xpress Enterprises.

Bill Ford, chair of Ford Motor Company; George Buckley, head of 3M; and Will Eastman of the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation are among past speakers.

Jacoby was in Chattanooga last July to announce that Chattanooga had been chosen as the site for a new Volkswagen automobile manufacturing plant at Enterprise South Industrial Park.

The 50-year-old Volkswagen executive was appointed to his position in 2007, assuming overall responsibility for the Group’s automotive business in the U.S. Jacoby’s assignment is expanding the position of Volkswagen and Audi in the U.S. market through attractive and competitive products.

A native of Hanover, Germany, Jacoby received a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Cologne.

He began his career with Volkswagen in 1985 in the industrial sales controlling department. In March 1988, he moved to the controlling and marketing departments of Volkswagen of America for a year, and subsequently became responsible for pricing in the commercial vehicles business line.

In April 1990, Jacoby became head of controlling at Volkswagen Audi Nippon KK, Japan, helping to set up the new sales company. Following his return to Germany at the end of 1992, he assumed responsibility for Volkswagen AG exports and the control of Volkswagen sales companies in the sales planning department.

For two and a half years he managed the general office of the chairman of the board of management of Volkswagen AG. As a member of the top management, he was responsible for the Asia-Pacific region from October 1997 to September 2001, and was instrumental in bringing about the further expansion of the two Volkswagen joint ventures in China.

From October 2001 to February 2004, Jacoby was president and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Europe B.V., headquartered in Amsterdam.

He subsequently returned to Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg in March 2004, initially assuming responsibility for the group sales strategy department. He was appointed general representative of Volkswagen AG for the marketing and sales department in 2004.

For information on the Spirit of Innovation Luncheon or to make a reservation call the Chamber EventsHotline at 423-763-4366.