Michael Leiters is with Porsche no stranger. The 54-year-old worked for the sports car manufacturer for 13 years. Now he should lead him out of the crisis, if the previous CEO Oliver Blume (57) resigns.
Leiters was born in Essen and, after studying at the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, began his career with the Swabians in the era of Wendelin Wiedeking (73) in 2000. He worked in various management positions, including as an assistant to Wiedeking. Some also thought he was his cleaner.
Experts describe him as an analytical and strategic manager. The mechanical engineer with a doctorate is considered an advocate of lightweight construction. At Porsche, his name is primarily associated with the successful Cayenne model, in whose development he played a key role. Later, Leiters took over product line responsibility for the SUV models.
In the automotive industry, Leiters is considered a high-speed manager, a so-called “racer”. The father of two loves fast cars and also enjoys getting behind the wheel of racing cars himself.
From Porsche to Ferrari to McLaren – and back again
In 2013 he left the sports car company and initially became head of technology at Italian competitor Ferrari. There he was responsible, among other things, for the development of the successful hybrid models SF90 Stradale and 396 GTB. He then resigned at the end of 2021, shortly after Benedetto Vigna (56) was appointed Ferrari’s new CEO. Apparently he had ambitions for the top job himself.
Shortly afterwards, the British sports car manufacturer McLaren Automotive fulfilled his wish, appointing him as the company’s new CEO in July 2022. Leiters managed to stabilize the company. Last year, sales increased by a good 50 percent, as he said in an interview with “Welt”. The adjusted operating profit has returned to positive territory after years of losses. In the course of the takeover by the Abu Dhabi-based investment firm CYVN, Leiters resigned from his post in April 2025.
The owner families Porsche and Piëch know Leiters well. It was said in the past about the manager that he enjoyed their trust. According to reports, they had preferred an external candidate to succeed Blume. In addition, Leiters also brings with him the experience of two sports car manufacturers, even though both Ferrari and McLaren are significantly smaller than Porsche. And he already knows the Porsche structures from his own experience. In the current crisis that Porsche finds itself in, this is certainly extremely helpful.
Porsche construction site
There are enough tasks for managers at Porsche: The sports car manufacturer, which was used to success, has become a company in crisis mode. Sales recently left a lot to be desired, especially in… China things went significantly worse. US import tariffs are also putting a strain on business. Because of the slow transition to e-mobility, Porsche also had to change its e-strategy – and is now relying more on combustion engines and hybrid drives. But this involves investments running into billions of euros.