Lives of Consequence
Scott Keogh '91
President and CEO, Scout Motors
As president and CEO of the Volkswagen Group of America since 2018, Scott Keogh ’91 oversees all VW brand activities in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, including factories in Tennessee and Mexico. He is also heading the U.S. operations of Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and the credit arm of Volkswagen.
Before his appointment at VW, Keogh spent more than a decade leading Audi of America to unmatched success. As the company’s president, he was responsible for all of its U.S. activities, leading the automaker to unprecedented levels of sales growth, dealer network development and customer consideration.
After spending his junior year at HWS studying abroad in South America, Keogh had plans to become a foreign correspondent for the New York Times in Latin America. Instead, following a public-relations stint in New York, Keogh spent several months in Bolivia teaching basic family finances to indigenous families as part of a microenterprise project.
When he returned to the States, Keogh got a call from a friend from Mercedes-Benz with word of a position for an “alternative-media specialist.” From that role, Keogh quickly rose through the ranks at Mercedes-Benz, with assignments in global brand strategy in Germany and as general manager of Smart USA, where he was responsible for sales, marketing, product planning and retail automotive development.
After a decade with Mercedes-Benz, Keogh joined Audi of America as chief marketing officer in 2006. Responsible for leading all product planning for the U.S. market, as well as marketing and advertising campaigns, his successes include Super Bowl advertising and the “Truth in 24” documentaries that told the story of Audi at the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. As chief marketing officer, he also oversaw Audi’s increased use of social media and product placement, such as in the “Iron Man” movie series.
His marketing and advertising work has been as highly lauded as it has been closely watched. In 2011, AdWeek recognized the Audi brand turnaround story by naming Keogh a "Brand Genius" award winner.
Named president of Audi of America in June 2012, Keogh oversaw the company’s forays into new vehicle segments and crucial product launches that significantly broadened the Audi product line in the U.S. He sharpened the Audi dealer network and promoted improvements in Audi product quality. During his time at Audi as chief marketing officer and president, the brand went from selling 93,000 vehicles in 2007 to 226,511 in 2017. Under Keogh’s leadership, the luxury automaker’s premium market share in 2017 doubled, compared to a decade earlier.
In 2011 and 2012, Irish America Magazine named Keogh to its “The Business 100” list. According to the publication, the listing “is a celebration of Irish-American corporate success.” It includes 29 CEOs, seven of the Top 10 Fortune 500 companies, and four of the 2010 Forbes Most Powerful Women in the World.
Keogh graduated from Hobart College with a B.A. in comparative literature.