Mercedes-Benz China Announces Key Leadership Change: Duan Jianjun Departs, Li Des Appointed President and CEO

On February 14, Mercedes-Benz (China) Investment Co., Ltd. announced a series of personnel changes in management positions within its joint ventures.

Source: Pacific Auto

The announcement states that Mr. Duan Jianjun, President and CEO of Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co., Ltd., has resigned from his current position due to personal reasons and will be leaving the company. The company expresses its deep reluctance and regret regarding Mr. Duan Jianjun's personal decision, but also fully understands and respects his personal choice. The company especially thanks him for continuing to support the team as a strategic advisor from March 1, 2026, to ensure a smooth and orderly handover until his term expires on April 30, 2026.

Duan Jianjun; Image source: Mercedes-Benz (same below)

According to information received, Duan Jianjun joined the Mercedes-Benz Sales Company in 2013 as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2019, and has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2023. During his tenure, the sales company's performance continuously broke through and reached new highs: it consistently introduced and upgraded products that better met the needs of Chinese customers, launched a series of brand marketing activities that resonated with Chinese culture and the spirit of the times, and established close cooperative relationships with dealer partners in a complex market environment. The announcement stated that this series of measures allowed Mercedes-Benz to build a unique luxury brand positioning in China and continuously accumulate development momentum, making China the largest single market for Mercedes-Benz globally for more than ten consecutive years.

Concurrently, Mr. Oliver Britzke, the current Executive Vice President of Sales at Mercedes-Benz Sales Company, will be appointed as President and CEO, effective March 1, 2026. It is reported that Mr. Britzke has held important positions in various departments at Mercedes-Benz headquarters and regional markets, accumulating extensive cross-business management experience and valuable business insights, possessing a broad international perspective. He joined the company in 2004 and has held several expert and management positions during his career, including Head of smart's business in China and Head of Mercedes-Maybach's global business. He has spent a quarter of his career deeply rooted in the Chinese market, accumulating rich experience in smart's electric transformation, global operations of high-end models, and the construction of digital customer systems, possessing both a global operational vision and localized insights into the Chinese market.

Li Desi

Furthermore, Zhang Mingxia is concluding her assignment at the smart joint venture and will officially assume the role of Executive Vice President of Sales at Mercedes-Benz Sales Co., Ltd. on April 1, 2026. According to reports, Zhang Mingxia joined the smart brand in 2022 as Global Chief Marketing Officer, responsible for sales, marketing, and customer operations, and also served as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of smart Europe. During her tenure, she drove brand image reshaping, product renewal, and overseas market expansion. Notably, Zhang Mingxia has over twenty years of experience working with the Mercedes-Benz brand, and her joining will inject a new development perspective into the management team of Mercedes-Benz Sales Co., Ltd.

Zhang Mingxia

In addition, Kang Yi, the current Head of Sales and Marketing at Mercedes-Benz Auto Finance Ltd., will be seconded to the smart joint venture company starting April 1, 2026, to serve as Global Chief Marketing Officer, responsible for Sales, Marketing, and Customer Operations, and concurrently as Chairman of the smart Europe Supervisory Board. It is reported that Kang Yi has worked for the Mercedes-Benz brand for 20 years, and since 2015, he has been responsible for smart's sales and marketing in China. He has experience in operating joint ventures in both production and sales fields and is one of the core drivers of the brand's electrification transformation.

Mercedes-Benz stated in the announcement that the appointment and adjustment of its management team will further solidify its commitment to deepening its presence in China, actively seizing the development potential unleashed by the evolving Chinese market, fully leveraging its mature and comprehensive industrial chain system, leading technological ecosystem, and excellent local talent, continuously strengthening its core competitiveness, and providing Chinese customers with desirable products, cutting-edge technology, and exceptional customer experience.