José Muñoz, president & COO of Hyundai Motor Company (HMC), has joined HMC’s board of management, according to a company announcement on May 2. 

In his new role, Muñoz will be responsible for driving greater performance in key strategic regions, including Europe, India, the Middle East, and Africa. Muñoz will also lead global talent acquisition and management to recruit and retain core talent in new technology-based businesses. To accelerate and maximize global operational performance, he will lead global sales, service, product planning as part of the Global Business Operations Division.

He will also launch the new global Product Line Management and Product Director Office. He will remain the president and CEO of Hyundai and Genesis Motor North America and Hyundai Motor America. 

Muñoz will become a member of the board of directors of Motional, a joint venture between automotive technology expert Aptiv and the Hyundai Motor Group effective May 10, 2022. He will also become a member of the Hyundai Motor Company board of directors following the approval of the general shareholder’s meeting in March 2023.

Since joining Hyundai in 2019, Muñoz has significantly increased Hyundai and Genesis profitability and market share, consistently delivering successive months of record sales and profits for both brands despite supply chain disruptions and the pandemic, the announcement said. Muñoz led the turnaround of sales by enhancing operations and strengthening the dealer networks in North, Central, and South America. 

“Jose is a definitely proven leader and we expect his expanded role will greatly enhance our global operational excellence,” said Jaehoon Chang, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. With his expanded role, Muñoz will be based in the United States and South Korea.

Prior to joining Hyundai, Muñoz was chief performance officer for Nissan Motor Corporation and chairman of Nissan China and North America. During his 15-year tenure, he also held multiple management positions at Toyota Motor Europe.

Muñoz, 56, a native of Spain, earned his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from Polytechnic University of Madrid and earned an Executive MBA from IE Business School in Madrid. He has also completed executive management programs from Cranfield School of Management in the U.K. and INSEAD Business School in France. He is fluent in English, Spanish, and French.