Previously the CEO of the Volkswagen brand, Herbert Diess is now the new Group CEO and successor of Matthias Müller. The 59-year-old will continue to manage the Volkswagen core brand in parallel, supported by a Chief Operating Officer (COO). Diess and Chairman of the Supervisory Board Hans Dieter Pötsch announced this in front of journalists at the brand tower in Wolfsburg on Friday.
Diess was appointed as the new Group CEO by the supervisory board on Thursday. “During the transformation process of the Volkswagen brand, he has demonstrated quite impressively the tempo and consistency with which he is able to implement profound changes. This ability has predestined him for the mandate to finish implementing our Strategy 2025 in the crucial years ahead,” said Pötsch, explaining the decision. Diess came to Volkswagen from BMW in mid-2015. Since then, he has been the CEO of the core brand. He stressed, “I appreciate the responsibility I have been given and look forward to facing this new challenge together with the brands and our employees.”
“We have a great team in the Volkswagen brand.”
The goal of the 11th CEO in the history of the Volkswagen Group is to form a streamlined corporate group with strong brands. This will entail the introduction of the “Volume,” “Premium” and “Super Premium” brand groups and preparing the “Truck & Bus” segment to operate on the capital market. The executives responsible for the brand groups will also take on other management activities in the Group. The Volkswagen brand belongs to the “Volume” brand group, which also includes Skoda and Seat.
The position of COO for the brand will be newly created and filled as soon as possible, announced Pötsch. The COO will serve as Diess’ right hand and will be responsible for day-to-day operational activities. “This will ensure that the new management model functions efficiently,” remarked the chairman of the supervisory board. The COO will be selected from within Volkswagen. “We have enough personnel in management. We expect the position to be filled internally,” said Diess and gave the entire workforce his renewed praise: “We have a great team in the Volkswagen brand. A COO will help many things to function without my assistance.”
Why did the management board and supervisory board decide on this comprehensive revision of the management structure? “Following the very successful initial phase of our reorganization, the Volkswagen Group is giving its transformation a further push forward. In doing so, we are drawing on the experience of the last two-and-a-half years in order to make structures and processes in the company sustainable, profitable and competitive,” explained Chairman of the Supervisory Board Pötsch, adding, “We are confident. This will equip us to secure our leading position in the automotive industry for the long-term future. And we are mobilizing the full strength of our corporate brands in designing the automotive mobility of tomorrow.”
Gunnar Kilian: New Chief Human Resources Officer
Kilian then led a parliamentary office in the German Bundestag in 2003, and returned to Volkswagen in 2006, where he assumed the role of Press Spokesman for the Group works council. In 2012 he worked in the Salzburg office of the chairman of Volkswagen AG’s supervisory board, before returning to Wolfsburg in 2013, when he took the position of General Secretary and Managing Director of the Group Works Council.
The supervisory board has appointed Gunnar Kilian a member of the executive board of Volkswagen AG for “HR and Organization.” The 43-year-old will succeed Karlheinz Blessing, who has left the company by mutual agreement but will remain available as a consultant for the duration of his service contract.
Kilian has been volunteering for many years as Chairman Of the Board of the Volkswagen Employee Foundation and as a member of the board of trustees of the International Youth Meeting Center in Auschwitz.
Kilian was born on January 31, 1975 in Westerland on the island of Sylt in Germany. He has worked for the Volkswagen Group since 2000. He began his professional career in 1995 as a newspaper intern, followed by holding positions first as an editor and then as a public relations officer at – Volkswagen AG.
Pötsch thanks Müller
The former CEO believes the company is well positioned for the future.
Matthias Müller headed the Volkswagen Group for two-and-a-half years. In a farewell letter, the 64-year-old thanked the executive board, his team, and the staff. “I really enjoyed working with you. Our many encounters and open discussions have always motivated me the most.” Müller emphasized that the Volkswagen Group is well positioned for the next phase of the transformation that is now beginning.
Chairman of the Supervisory Board Hans Dieter Pötsch also emphasized Müller’s merits in front of journalists in Wolfsburg on Friday. The former Group CEO has done outstanding work for the company, accomplishing much more than just steering Volkswagen safely and with flying colors through an extremely difficult period. “He has also set the necessary cultural change in motion and made sure, with great personal dedication, that the Volkswagen Group has not only stayed on track, but is now more operationally and strategically robust than ever before,” said Pötsch.