New Head of PR and Communications at Volkswagen UK
23 July 2026
- Pietro Panarisi to join Volkswagen Passenger Cars UK as its new Head of PR and Communications
- Follows 11 years of leading Škoda UK’s PR and Communications team
- Succeeds Mike Orford, who leaves Volkswagen Group UK after 25 years in order to focus on family
Milton Keynes – Volkswagen UK has announced that Pietro Panarisi will soon join the brand as its new Head of PR and Communications.
He will move into Volkswagen Passenger Cars directly following 11 highly successful years at Škoda UK, where he has played a key role in developing the brand’s image and strengthening its presence across lifestyle, consumer, and automotive media.
Panarisi has more than 25 years of experience in PR and communications, particularly in the automotive industry, and will join Volkswagen just ahead of the UK arrival of its pivotal new model, the ID. Polo.
He will take over from Mike Orford, who became Head of PR in 2015, and is leaving the Group at the end of September in order to meet shifting priorities in his family life.
“I am really looking forward to leading the PR and Communications team at this incredible brand,” said Panarisi. “It is a particularly exciting time to be joining Volkswagen, as the UK’s number-one brand embarks on a flurry of fantastic new model launches, including the ID. Polo, ID. Polo GTI and ID. Cross. I can’t wait to get started and help build on what the team has already achieved.”
Rod McLeod, Director of Volkswagen UK, said: “I am very pleased to welcome Pietro to the Volkswagen UK team. The next few years will be transformational for Volkswagen, with multiple launches of incredible new products. I’m looking forward to Pietro leading the PR and Communications team in generating a huge buzz around these new-generation Volkswagens.
“I would also like to thank Mike for his hard work, enthusiasm and professionalism over many years at Volkswagen, and 25 years in total at the Group, and admire and respect his decision to prioritise his family at this time. We wish him all the best for the future.”
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Press contact
Volkswagen (UK) Press Team
Mike Orford 07467 442062
Rob Punshon 07775 311931
Grant McPherson 07774 684222
Trevor Rickwood 07407 826649
Nicki Divey 07802 248310
Volkswagen Press and PR
Volkswagen (UK)
Yeomans Drive
Blakelands
Milton Keynes
MK14 5AN
VW26036 MO/tr
About the Volkswagen brand:
A total of 178,607 new Volkswagen passenger vehicles were registered in the UK in 2025, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). This equated to a market share of 8.84 per cent – ahead of the brand’s market share in 2024 (8.52 per cent) – and made Volkswagen the UK’s best-selling new-car brand for the fifth year running.
The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand has a global presence, producing vehicles at 28 locations in 12 countries, and employs 170,000 people. In 2025, Volkswagen delivered around 4.7 million vehicles worldwide. These included bestsellers such as the Polo, T-Roc, T-Cross, Golf, Tiguan and Passat, as well as the successful all-electric ID. models. Volkswagen handed over about 382,000 all-electric vehicles to customers worldwide in 2025 and, with its BOOST 2030 strategy, it is consistently driving forward its development into the most desirable brand for sustainable mobility.
Originally published by Volkswagen
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