Herbert Diess to leave BMW?

[Mars1965]

On www.autoblog.nl there is news Herbert Diess is to leave BMW to become new CEO of VW.

IMO that would be a serious dissapointment for BMW.

 

[EnI]

^^

True.

There are also major changes happening in the BMW AG Board of Management & Supervisory Board (more in a separate thread).



Wolfsburg, 09 December 2014

Volkswagen AG Supervisory Board appoints Dr. Herbert Diess to Group Board of Management

• Dr. Herbert Diess to take over as Chairman of Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand

The Supervisory Board of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft has unanimously appointed Dr. Herbert Diess (56) as a full member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG effective October 1, 2015. In his capacity as a member of the Group Board of Management, Diess will take over as Chairman of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand from Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, who remains Chairman of the Group Board of Management.

In the context of this appointment the new function of "Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Passenger Cars" is to be set up in the Group Board of Management. Diess is currently the Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Development. "With Herbert Diess we will be welcoming an outstanding personality and one of the most capable minds in the automotive industry to our Company. At the same time, this step puts the executive management of both the Group and the brand on an even broader footing", Winterkorn commented.

Source: https://www.volkswagen-media-servic...ec13158edd433c6630f5ac445da?p_p_auth=y56inTr1



BMW AG official statement:

With immediate effect, Klaus Fröhlich (54) is the new member of the Board of Management with responsibility for Development. This appointment was also decided at today's meeting of the Supervisory Board. Klaus Fröhlich has been with the BMW Group since 1987, during which time he has held various executive management functions. Most recently, he was in charge of the Small and Mid-sized Series Product Line. His predecessor on the board, Dr. Herbert Diess, has left the company of his own accord.

 

[EnI]

Volkswagen Boss Admits Latest Hirings Stoked Debate About Likely Successor

Martin Winterkorn gives candid interview to Stern magazine as retirement looms

Martin Winterkorn, speaking at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, in January. Speculation about who will succeed him at the helm of Europe’s biggest automotive group is heating up. Photo: Associated Press

By
William Boston
Feb. 25, 2015 7:57 a.m. ET
0 COMMENTS

BERLIN—The discussion at Volkswagen AG about who will become the next chief executive of Europe’s biggest automotive group is gaining pace as current boss Martin Winterkorn is set to retire next year.

In an unusually candid interview to be published in the German news magazine Stern, Mr. Winterkorn acknowledged that his decision to recruit two top veteran executives from rival car makers last year kicked off a debate at the company about who would succeed him when he retires in 2016.

“There are many here who could do just as good a job,” he said, according to an advance copy of the Stern interview.

Mr. Winterkorn hired Andreas Renschler, a Daimler executive, to oversee the consolidation of VW’s truck business and build the commercial vehicle division into a global player. Mr. Renschler started this month. He also recruited Herbert Diess , a BMW executive, to take charge of Volkswagen’s namesake VW brand later this year.

“Both colleagues are executives who have done well in their previous companies,” said Mr. Winterkorn. “Otherwise we wouldn’t have hired them.”

Mr. Winterkorn didn’t comment on speculation about internal candidates. Rupert Stadler, the head of VW’s luxury car maker Audi AG , is seen by some as a front-runner for the job. He has a good chance of pulling Audi past BMW to claim the top spot in the premium car segment.

Mr. Stadler also has close ties to the one voice that matters most at VW: Ferdinand Piech, chairman of the supervisory board and a key shareholder. Mr. Stadler was Mr. Piech’s right-hand man when Mr. Piech was CEO of VW.

The obstacle for Mr. Stadler is that he isn't an engineer, but has a background in finance and economics. Until now, there has been an unwritten rule at VW that the CEO must be an engineer.

Mr. Winterkorn told Stern that the VW CEO may not need to be an engineer, “but it helps. On average we launch a new model on the market every 14 days.” The head of VW, who oversees nine different car brands, commercial vehicles and motorcycles, “must have great affinity to our products,” Mr. Winterkorn said. “As always, it depends on the person. But the decision about who will be my successor will certainly not be an easy one for the supervisory board.”

Matthias Müller, head of VW’s sports car brand Porsche, has also been mentioned as a possible successor. Mr. Müller declines to comment on the rumors, but people familiar with the situation say he isn’t interested in the job.

Mr. Winterkorn didn’t say for sure that he would retire next year—he is currently serving out an extended contract—but admitted that he has already made plans for retirement.

“I would move to Munich, to Bavaria,” he said. “My wife comes from the area.”

Source: http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswa...oked-debate-about-likely-successor-1424869039