South Korean battery maker SK On is accelerating its global sales push by creating a new “Europe Chief” role and appointing former Continental executive Thomas Eller to the position.
Eller, who joined earlier this month, spent nearly two decades at German auto parts supplier Continental, where he oversaw global sales. Before that, he worked for about five years at Motorola Solutions.
Based in Germany—the home of automakers such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz—Eller will be tasked with expanding new orders, strengthening client relationships, and driving business development across Europe.
SK On said the new role is designed to establish a more “customer-tailored cooperation system” in the region, enabling the company to respond to local clients more quickly and efficiently than under its previous headquarters-led model.
The company currently operates three plants in Komárom and Iváncsa, Hungary. A key priority is to improve profitability by boosting utilization rates at its Hungarian plants through new contracts with European automakers.
The move follows a similar step in North America, where SK On created a regional chief role in February. Rob Schnell, a sales veteran with more than 30 years of auto industry experience—including work with Ford, GM, and Stellantis—was appointed to lead the region.
“With this new structure, we’ll be able to respond to customer needs in Europe much faster,” an SK On spokesperson said. “We plan to strengthen collaboration with European automakers and actively pursue new business opportunities.”
