- Personnel changes in key top management positions
- Appointments affect Level 1 below the Group Board of Management
- New role assignments within the Top End Vehicle Group (TEV)
Mercedes-Benz Group AG Board of Management has decided on several new appointments within Mercedes-Benz top management. The company is bidding farewell to its esteemed colleagues who have served in long-time and successful careers. With the new appointments, Mercedes-Benz is strengthening the consistent implementation of its sustainable business strategy.
„The success of Mercedes-Benz is above all one thing: a team effort. Some of our colleagues who have been instrumental to our success over many years are now starting new chapters in their lives – they are going into well-deserved retirement or continuing to evolve their careers beyond our company. I would like to wholeheartedly express my sincerest gratitude for their tireless efforts, and want to wish them all the very best for the future. At the same time, I’m very much looking forward to working with the new top management colleagues joining the Mercedes-Benz family, as well as those who are taking on new responsibilities in key positions with us.”
Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG
Philipp Schiemer, CEO of Mercedes-AMG GmbH & Head of the Top End Vehicle (TEV) Group, is leaving Mercedes-AMG GmbH, and will take on a new role at Mercedes-Benz AG starting on April 1, 2023. He will be responsible for establishing the Top End Customer and Community Management function, which is a key component of the Mercedes-Benz strategy. Most recently, Schiemer has played a vital role in the success of Mercedes-AMG and in driving the Maybach and G-Class product campaigns forward. Over the course of a long and successful career, he’s made a lasting impact within various divisions in a variety of functions. That includes his time in Brazil, where Schiemer worked for the Group for a total of more than 18 years, most recently as the CEO of Mercedes-Benz do Brasil Ltda.
Michael Schiebe, currently the Chief of Staff to the Chairman of the Board of Management & Head of the Corporate Office, will succeed Philipp Schiemer as CEO of Mercedes-AMG GmbH & Head of the Top End Vehicle (TEV) Group on March 1, 2023. Alongside this change, the line of reporting for the TEV division will also change: In the future, Schiebe will report in this function directly to Markus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Chief Technology Officer, responsible for Development and Procurement.
Wolf-Dieter Kurz, Head of Product Strategy & Steering, has decided to close out his professional career after 34 extremely successful years with Mercedes-Benz on March 31, 2023, to start a new chapter in his life. Kurz has been a decisive part of the outstanding success of the current Mercedes-Benz product portfolio. Additionally, he played an important role in leading the implementation of changes to our product portfolio under the auspices of the Mercedes-Benz strategy. Prior to steering the company’s overarching product strategy, the industrial engineering graduate was responsible for the compact class and SUV product group. Prior to that, he held various positions at the company, including CEO of Mercedes-Benz Türk A.S. (Turkey) between 2009 and 2013.
Oliver Thöne, currently Head of Production Planning Mercedes-Benz Cars, will succeed Kurz as Head of Product Strategy & Steering on March 1, 2023. On June 1, 2023, Thöne will be succeeded by Arno van der Merwe, currently CEO of Beijing Benz Automotive Co. (BBAC) in China – a joint venture with the Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC Group). Van der Merwe will be succeeded on July 1, 2023, by Jörg Bartels, currently Head of Vehicle Integration in passenger car development. Also on July 1, 2023, Bartels will be succeeded by Christoph Starzynski, currently Head of Development e-Drive. As part of this change, Starzynski will assume responsibility for complete vehicle development for all Mercedes-Benz passenger car series. Torsten Eder, Head of Development Powertrain, will take over Starzynski’s role as Head of e-Drive Development on July 1, 2023, and will additionally manage the merged divisions until then, subject to the approval of the responsible co-determination committees. He will also continue in his role as a member of the Executive Committee for the Drive Systems product group.
Florian Hohenwarter, Head of Production Europe/Africa, has decided to change industries as of March 31, 2023: he is seizing the opportunity for further career development to become Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG. Hohenwarter has built an excellent reputation both within the Mercedes-Benz Production Division and companywide. He is leaving the company of his own volition. The company will communicate Hohenwarter’s successor at a later date.
As one of our new additions to Mercedes-Benz from outside the company, we are pleased to welcome Katrin Lehmann, currently Head of Customer Innovation and Maintenance at SAP SE, starting on May 1, 2023. She will head the newly created IT Research & Development, Security and Data division. Lehmann is an experienced manager from the technology industry who leads more than 3,500 software developers in her current position at SAP, shaping digital transformation worldwide. A key focus of her work is linking software development, innovation and sustainability. Lehmann will report directly to Chief Information Officer (CIO) Jan Brecht.