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Opel Executive Goes From Cosmetics to Cars

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Tina MuellerIn 2013, Tina Mueller left her position in the cosmetics industry and was appointed as Opel’s Member of the Board of Management, responsible for Brand Management. Many industry insiders suspected that Mueller was brought to Opel to give it a makeover, for lack of a better term, and bring in new, innovative ideas.

Mueller and Opel bosses worked together to implement “resuscitation” plans upon her arrival to help the automaker recover from shrinking European market share. A big part of that plan was to make cars appeal to customers who are looking for designs that fit in with their lifestyles, even if they aren’t luxury cars. For example, for a new ad campaign for the Opel Corsa, Mueller had the fashion giant Karl Lagerfeld photograph his famous white cat, Choupette, climbing all over the car.

https://youtu.be/ZvjIAU_j8_c

You can see Mueller’s touches in many of Opel’s recent model designs as well, especially the Opel Astra. She encouraged Opel to take advantage of its part in General Motors to take elements from its vehicles around the world, like massage seats and a perfume diffuser. When Mary Barra visited a European auto show, Mueller implored her to send more cutting-edge technologies to help them compete against automakers like Volkswagen.

Combining her knowledge of what works in Europe to encourage customers to see something as stylish and the history of the Opel brand, Tina Mueller is ready to face the ever-changing automotive market head on.