Wolfgang Schulz, 47, took over as CEO of BMW Group Romania, the importer of BMW and Mini car brands to Romania, starting October 1.

He replaces Alexander Milanov, who has served as general manager of BMW Group’s Romanian and Bulgarian operations since March 2013. Milanov remains at the helm of BMW Group Bulgaria.

Schulz has a challenging mission ahead, as BMW’s sales in Romania declined in the first eight months of 2014, while the other two German premium brands, Audi and Mercedes had higher sales.

BMW Romania had a turnover of EUR 60 million in 2013, down from almost EUR 100 million in 2012.

Before coming to Romania, Wolfgang Schulz was Key Account Corporate Sales for BMW Group Germany, a unit that sells over 35,000 cars a year.

BMW has been present on the Romanian market since 1994. The brand’s retail sales are handled by Automobile Bavaria, a Romanian company owned by Michael Schmidt, which recently celebrated 20 years of activity.

Andrei Chirileasa, andrei@romania-insider.com