But what exactly do you do as COO?I have quite a range of responsibilities: one of the things I do is manage various committees. To be successful, we have to work together more closely across divisions so that we can find optimal solutions quickly. The key is to ensure that our core divisions work together even more closely in an integrated way. Finally, I am also required to work with the CEO to implement the strategies developed,and to do so in a way that ensures that our targets are achieved on time.
You’ve been at Volkswagen for a long time. You could say that you know the company inside and out.At the very least I can say that I have gotten to know a lot of areas at Volkswagen. I started working at the Braunschweig plant in 1984 with an apprenticeship as a shop fitter. I then worked shifts on the production line assembling steering systems. After that, I went on to complete my university entrance qualification and studied Industrial Engineering and Management, specializing in Production Technology. After graduating in 1993, I joined Procurement. I took on various roles in this area and in the General Secretariat, and then I joined Seat in Spain, where I was Head of Procurement. After returning to Wolfsburg, I worked as the Divisional Director of Procurement until I was appointed Head of Procurement at Volkswagen in December 2015, and in August this year I was also made COO.