Mercedes-Benz USA has tapped veteran luxury marketer Melody Lee as chief marketing officer. She will be replacing Drew Slaven who retired from the role in February after a decade on the job. Lee will join the company July 1.
Lee joins the car marker from global design company MillerKnoll, where she served as senior vice president of global brand & product marketing, overseeing brand strategy for Herman Miller and Knoll.
Prior to her role at MillerKnoll, Lee was global COO for design communications agency Camron and vice president for brand development at beauty brand Shiseido. Lee also has experience in the car business having served as global brand director of BOOK by Cadillac.
She joins Mercedes-Benz at a time when the industry is transitioning to electric vehicles. In 2021, the car company transitioned from an “Electric first” strategy to an “Electric only” strategy. This shift is part of the company’s “Ambition 2039” vision, the brand’s sustainability program, a program that aims to cut emissions by 80 percent by 2030.
