Wolf-Henning Scheider to lead automotive suppliers: ZF Friedrichshafen recruits new boss from competitors

01/25/2018

Wolf-Henning Scheider to lead auto parts supplier ZF Friedrichshafen recruits new boss from competitors

Mahle

Leads to one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world: Wolf-Henning Scheider.

The automotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen, which was shaken by power struggles recently, has found a new CEO. According to information from manager-magazin.de Wolf-Henning Scheider will in future head the drive specialist with an annual turnover of more than 35 billion euros. So far, the 55-year-old is still in the service of about half the size of his competitor Mahle (sales last around 12.3 billion euros).

The new appointment was necessary after the previous CEO Stefan Sommer and the owner of the company, the Foundation of the City of Friedrichshafen, had dropped out and had to go in early December, The Zeppelin Foundation owns 93 percent of the group with around 137,000 employees.

Scheider’s quick commitment is a success for Friedrichshafen’s Lord Mayor Andreas Brand. Before his time at Mahle, his new most important employee was responsible for automotive engineering, the nucleus and top-selling division of the world’s leading automotive supplier Bosch. There he clashed with the owners because of his expansion ideas. Like ZF, Bosch also has a foundation.

Ironically, Scheider’s predecessor summer at ZF also had to go because of an expansion idea. He had wanted to take over the Belgian brake manufacturer Wabco and stylized the project on the question of confidence. The board, however, the price was far too high, also he did not shine the industrial logic.

(Also read the mm report: Drama on Lake Constance – how the CEO of a multibillion-dollar company failed in a provincial politician)

Even during the conflict, mayor Brand had scoured the market for possible alternative candidates for summer and meanwhile discussed a list of eight people with the Personnel Committee of the Supervisory Board. In the end, Scheider clearly asserted himself because of his industry expertise, leadership experience and expertise in the culture of foundation companies. The decision for Scheider should be communicated in the near future, if possible even with a concrete date for the change.

A spokesman for the group did not want to comment on the information.

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