There aren’t many bosses who would put up with that: his deputy keeps interrupting him, interpreting what the boss just said and adding what he thinks is still missing. The deputy, at least that’s the impression created, wants to have the last word and pushes himself into the limelight. Oliver Blume, previously head of Porsche and from September 1st also CEO of the parent company VW, never seemed to mind if Porsche Vice Lutz Meschke, responsible for finance, IT and investments, constantly interrupted him.
Gustave parts
Business correspondent in Stuttgart.
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Meschke has often stood next to Blume in recent years. They gave joint press conferences and sometimes interviews. Meschke then seemed almost more influential than the very controlled Blume, who soon became Germany’s most important car manager. The CFO’s rhetoric is sharper and bolder, much less deliberative than Blume’s, whose phrases sometimes seem almost memorized. Maybe it’s because of Blume, who, at least in public, doesn’t curb Meschke’s thirst for recognition and instead – atypical for the car industry – is sometimes so friendly that he comes across as almost gentle.