Outgoing COO Nadia Trimmel joined Mercedes-Benz Malaysia in 2024 as Vice President of Marketing and Sales.
MERCEDES-BENZ Malaysia has appointed Kevin Barbian as the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Mercedes-Benz Cars Malaysia, effective September 1, 2026. He succeeds Nadia Trimmel, who is moving to Mercedes-Benz Vans UK as Sales Director.
Barbian has been with Mercedes-Benz since 2011, beginning his career as a Business Development Consultant before moving into commercial telematics and business-to-business services.
In 2016, he founded Mercedes-Benz Connectivity Services GmbH, where he served as Head of Sales and Marketing. He later held several leadership roles involving IT and digital transformation within the Mercedes-Benz organisation.
Among them was his role as Digital Lead for Mercedes-EQ, where his work covered technologies including over-the-air updates and on-demand functions.
He subsequently established and expanded the company’s Digital, Data & AI unit within IT Customer Services across several international hubs.
Most recently, Barbian led Mercedes-Benz’s Retail of the Future programme in Europe, overseeing its implementation in Germany and its roll-out across other markets. The same retail model was introduced in Malaysia in 2023.
Barbian said Malaysia remains an important market for Mercedes-Benz, with his priorities including building on the company’s existing momentum while improving the customer journey through its products, retail network and services.
Outgoing COO Nadia Trimmel joined Mercedes-Benz Malaysia in 2024 as Vice President of Marketing and Sales.
During her tenure, she worked on the company’s Retail of the Future transformation and oversaw several product introductions, including the recently launched electric CLA.
Before arriving in Malaysia, Trimmel held several positions at Mercedes-Benz South Africa, including National Sales Manager for Mercedes-Benz Vans and later Managing Director.
She will now continue her career with the company as Sales Director of Mercedes-Benz Vans UK.
The Sun Malaysia