Audi of America has appointed Esther Francis as its new Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing and Communications, handing a global Audi and Volkswagen Group veteran the task of making the brand feel more relevant – and more distinctive – to American buyers. Francis took up the role on August 1 and reports to Audi of America President Vito Paladino.

The appointment comes with a notably direct brief. Francis will lead Audi of America’s integrated marketing and communications organization, with responsibility for brand strategy, marketing and external communications as the company tries to build growth and raise its visibility in the US.

Paladino framed the move as more than a routine leadership change. “Now is the time to reignite our brand and remind consumers what makes Audi, Audi,” he said, describing Francis as a leader whose global experience and strategic vision can help the company show its “obsession with progress” in the American market.

That language matters. Luxury-car marketing has become a much messier business than it was a few years ago. Traditional strengths such as engineering, design and performance still count, but buyers are now also judging brands through software, electric-vehicle credibility, cultural relevance and the consistency of their experience across retail, social media and ownership. Audi is looking for someone who can connect those pieces rather than simply promote the next vehicle launch.

Francis brings more than 27 years of marketing and communications experience, including 19 years inside the Volkswagen Group. Most recently, she ran Brand Communication, Content Marketing and Collaborations at AUDI AG in Germany, where she developed global communication formats spanning conventional and digital channels.

Her résumé also includes senior roles across several highly competitive markets. At FAW Audi in China, she served as vice president of marketing and helped shape annual communications strategies aimed at sales and long-term brand building. She has also held brand and consumer-communications leadership positions for Volkswagen Passenger Cars in China, and earlier led marketing for Audi South Africa, where Audi says she repositioned the brand and ran major launch campaigns.

That international background could prove especially useful in the US, where Audi is trying to appeal to an audience that expects premium brands to move quickly without losing a clear sense of identity. Before joining the Volkswagen Group, Francis led brand marketing functions for Oakley Africa, building the performance eyewear company’s regional marketing operation and overseeing media relations.

Francis holds a National Higher Diploma in Public Relations Management, awarded cum laude, from South Africa’s Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

A tougher US backdrop

Audi’s marketing challenge is not abstract. The company is in the middle of what it calls the largest product-launch cadence in its history, spanning combustion, hybrid and battery-electric vehicles, while the premium market itself is increasingly crowded and price-sensitive.

The timing also follows a difficult sales period. Audi’s North American sales fell 12.2 percent in 2025, according to Reuters, as the automaker navigated US tariffs and intense competition; globally, Audi deliveries dropped 2.9 percent to 1.62 million vehicles that year.

In 2026, Audi has continued refreshing the lineup. The company has launched the new Q3, plans to bring the new Q7 to the US, and is introducing the Q9, its first full-size flagship SUV, with North America specifically in mind. Audi says these launches will give it its youngest premium SUV lineup in the United States.

That puts Francis in charge at a moment when the product story is expanding, but the brand story needs to be simple enough for people to remember. New models can bring customers into showrooms, but a stronger and more coherent identity is what keeps Audi from being reduced to another badge in a crowded luxury-SUV comparison.

The brand question ahead

Audi has recently shown signs of leaning into broader lifestyle storytelling. Its 2026 Q3 campaign, “A Life of Yes,” used Morgan Freeman and Chase Infiniti across television, digital and social platforms, an example of the company trying to bring emotional accessibility to a vehicle launch without abandoning its premium positioning.

Francis’s experience in content, collaborations and global brand communication suggests that work may become more central to Audi’s US approach. The goal will likely be to make the four rings feel present in the places where consumers already form opinions – not only in glossy campaign films and dealer showrooms, but across culture, digital media, events and the everyday ownership conversation.

For Audi, the task is to make “progress” feel tangible again. Francis inherits a business with major new products on the way, but also one operating in a market where buyers have more luxury choices, more powertrain options and less patience for brand messaging that feels generic. Her appointment signals that Audi sees marketing not as a finishing layer on the product plan, but as a core part of the turnaround.