Kia SA has appointed Paul Turnbull, formerly of sister brand Hyundai Automotive SA, its new CEO.
Motus Holdings CEO Osman Arbee said Turnbull succeeded Gary Scott, who has held the position of CEO at Kia since 2017 and who has been appointed chief digital officer of Motus Holdings.
Turnbull was born and raised in Johannesburg, matriculating at Jeppe High School for Boys and attaining a BA cum laude. He started his career in the automotive industry in 1995, joining Wheels of Africa as a sales co-ordinator, which at the time was the distributor of Hyundai in SA.
He moved into the role of sales executive by the end of that year and into the role of dealer principal at Hyundai Nelspruit two years later, becoming the company’s youngest dealer principal in 1997 at the age of 25.
A year later he moved to the Middelburg branch — leading it to win Dealer of the Year in 1998 — before relocating to the Western Cape and taking up the leadership at the Tygervalley branch.
In 2023, Turnbull was promoted to MD of Hyundai Automotive SA’s retail division, with a portfolio of 43 dealers.
“I’m excited to join the Kia brand, despite the current economic headwinds that is affecting the entire automotive industry,” said Turnbull.
“Kia is a brilliant brand with brilliant products, and there are boundless opportunities for the brand to accelerate the remarkable growth it’s seen in the 25 years it has been active in SA. The industry is facing many challenges at the moment, but we remain bullish about growing Kia’s market share beyond 5% in the next two years.”
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