The BMW Group in the United States has announced the appointment of Sean Green as Vice President of MINI Region Americas, effective May 1, 2026. Green steps into the role vacated by Mike Peyton, who is departing the company to pursue new ventures.
Green arrives in the Americas following a distinguished tenure as head of BMW Group China, where he oversaw all facets of the brand’s operations in Beijing — and where we at BMWBLOG had the opportunity to meet him firsthand.
Started With BMW At 16
A native of England, Green’s story with the BMW Group started in the local market from a young age. He joined BMW UK at just 16 years old as an apprentice technician. Over the course of more than 35 years, he worked his way through aftersales, product marketing, and sales across both the BMW and MINI brands, spending time at the Munich headquarters, leading the BMW Group in Dublin, Ireland, and ultimately dedicating over a decade to senior leadership roles in Beijing.
His personal connection to MINI runs just as deep. Green’s first family car was a green 1967 Mini 850. By 17, he owned his first personal car — a blue Mini 1000. Since 2000, he has been closely involved with the brand, from the MINI relaunch in the UK to leading the MINI business across Europe and China.
“The Americas region plays an important role for the BMW Group globally,” said Sebastian Mackensen, President and CEO of BMW of North America. “Sean comes to the region with great experience, passion, and a proven leadership track record that will help us build on the success of the MINI brand in the region, and I’m looking forward to working together with him again.”
Green takes over from Mike Peyton, who leaves after leading both MINI of the Americas and BMW Motorrad operations. Before joining the BMW Group, Peyton held leadership roles at Harley-Davidson and Ford Motor Company.
A Critical Moment for MINI
Green’s appointment comes at a pivotal — and genuinely uncertain — time for the brand. The broader EV market has cooled considerably, and MINI finds itself at a crossroads. Having committed heavily to electrification in recent years, the brand must now weigh whether to double down on that strategy or course-correct with renewed investment in internal combustion engine products, either through new models or refreshed versions of existing ones.
The answer isn’t obvious. Consumer appetite for EVs remains inconsistent across markets, and the Americas region in particular has proven more resistant to the transition than Europe. Whether MINI leans further into ICE to recapture volume, or stays the electrification course and bets on the market catching up, will define the brand’s identity and commercial trajectory for years to come.
Green will need to make — or at least strongly influence — some of those calls relatively quickly.
First published by https://www.bmwblog.com
Source: https://www.bmwblog.com/2026/02/23/sean ... pointment/