The board of directors Volkswagen on Tuesday evening discussed a new management structure that would eliminate two departments at the top of the group, said a person familiar with the events of the Reuters news agency. Blume will also continue to lead the board area as CEO, to which the sports car manufacturer belongs Porsche belongs, whose IPO is being prepared. As a result, the company management, which had swelled to twelve members under his predecessor Herbert Diess, is reduced to nine board positions. Volkswagen declined to comment on the information.
Changes not yet finally decided
Another insider confirmed the planned reduction of three board positions. According to those in the know, the new structure has not yet been finally approved by the board of directors. Oral agreements would still have to be fixed in writing. The forthcoming IPO of Porsche was not a topic of the supervisory board meeting.
Blume will replace Diess at the top of the group on Thursday. According to insiders, the 54-year-old wants to explain his strategy and understanding of leadership at a management conference. Global top management is to be connected to the event in Lisbon. According to group experts, Blume relies more on teamwork and cohesion than his predecessor Diess, who is leaving after a good four years. He will continue to advise Volkswagen. The new CEO is to drive the transformation of the Wolfsburg group into a leading provider of electric cars and mobility services, which Diess initiated.
New management level
According to one of the insiders, the procurement department headed by Murat Aksel and Hildegard Wortmann’s sales department are to be located at a management level below the group’s board of directors. In the future, Wortmann should report to Markus Duesmann, who is responsible for the premium group on the group board Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley and Ducati. Aksel should report to Thomas Schäfer, who is responsible for the important brand group volume from VW cars, Skoda, Seat/Cupra and the VW van division. The production department, which Blume has been in charge of up to now, is also to move to Schäfer.
This should give the new CEO more freedom for his tasks at the top of the company. In order to manage the workload as head of the group and Porsche, the CFOs Antlitz at Volkswagen and Lutz Meschke at Porsche should be at his side. Blume is to remain head of the sports car manufacturer belonging to Volkswagen even after Porsche’s planned IPO.
In addition to CFO Arno Antlitz, Audi CEO Duesmann, Human Resources and Truck Director Gunnar Kilian, Chief Legal Officer Manfred Döss and Thomas Schäfer are part of Blume’s core team. The top management level also includes ChinaCEO Ralf Brandstätter, CTO Thomas Schmall and IT boss Hauke Stars.