Sebastian Birkel Becomes the New Group Chief Executive Officer of Europcar Mobility Group
Birkel has extensive experience in the car rental industry, including as CEO of SIXT’s North American business
PARIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Sebastian Birkel (42) will take over the management of the company from May 1st, 2025.
The experienced manager is moving from the top of the profection Group to Europcar Mobility Group. Birkel succeeds Olivier Baldassari, who is currently acting as interim CEO following the departure of Alain Favey. Baldassari remains Chief Operating Officer of Europcar Mobility Group.
With Sebastian Birkel, Europcar Mobility Group is gaining an internationally experienced top manager who has made a name for himself through his successful reorganization of SIXT’s North American business, among other things. There he led the operational development and turnaround of the region for five years – more than three of them as CEO. Under his leadership, the SIXT brand was successfully established in a highly competitive market and grew profitably.
After his time in North America, Birkel took over responsibility for global vehicle purchasing as well as Group accounting and controlling as a divisional board member at SIXT. Most recently, he was CEO of profection Group, an international personnel and property services provider with over 30,000 employees. He began his career in 2007 at Roland Berger, where he provided strategic support to companies undergoing restructuring.
Dr Christian Dahlheim, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Europcar Mobility Group and CEO of Volkswagen Financial Services AG, says: “We are delighted to have gained an experienced leader for Europcar Mobility Group in Sebastian Birkel. In view of the current challenges, he brings with him the ideal mix of operational strength, strategic vision and international experience. With his expertise, he will lead Europcar Mobility Group on a sustainable growth path. Welcome to the driver’s seat of Europcar Mobility Group!“.
Sebastian Birkel commented: “I’m looking forward to joining an historical player of this industry, which is also one of the largest mobility services providers in Europe today. As the entire industry is currently facing strong headwinds, my priority will be to steer the Group through this period, but also to build on our strengths for a sustainable future, hand in hand with our teams”.
From May 1st, the Management Board of Europcar Mobility Group will consist of Sebastian Birkel as Group CEO, Joachim Hinz as the new Chief Financial Officer – joining from SEAT, with 25 years of experience at international level in the automotive and mobility industry – and Olivier Baldassari, as Chief Operating Officer.
About Europcar Mobility Group
Europcar Mobility Group is a global mobility player, with 75 years of mobility services expertise and a leading position in Europe.
“We help to change the way you move” is what we stand for and brings us together. More than ever, we’re committed to delivering simple, seamless, innovative solutions that make mobility easy, enjoyable and increasingly eco-friendly.
To do this, we offer to individuals and businesses a wide range of car and van rental services, be it for a few hours, a few days, a week, a month or more, on-demand or on subscription, relying on a fleet of more than 280.000 vehicles, equipped with the latest engines including an increasing share of electric vehicles.
Our brands address differentiated needs, use cases and expectations: Europcar® – a global leader of car rental and light commercial vehicle rental, Goldcar® – a frontrunner at providing low-cost car rental services in Europe, Fox-Rent-A-Car®, one of the main players in the car rental market in the US, with a “value for money” positioning, and Euromobil®, a German car rental player. The Group also operates the “myEuropcar” platform for vehicle subscription.
Customers’ satisfaction is at the heart of the Group’s ambition and that of our more than 9,000 employees, everywhere we deliver our mobility solutions, thanks to a strong network in over 130 countries (including 15 wholly owned subsidiaries completed by franchisees and alliance partners).
www.europcar-mobility-group.com
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Contacts
Media
Valérie Sauteret: valerie.sauteret@europcar.com
Vincent Vevaud: vincent.vevaud@europcar.com