ddp images / Sven Simon
Bram Schot now has a regular contract as Audi boss until 2021
Barely six months ago, Bram Schot joined Audi as interim chief for the arrested Rupert Stadler. The interim is now a long-term solution: The 57-year-old native Dutchman has received a long-term contract as Audi CEO and moves simultaneously also in the VW Group Board.
This was decided by the supervisory board of VW in an extraordinary meeting, as manager magazin has learned from group circles. How long Schots contract as Audi CEO is running, is currently not known.
Schot’s appointment was longer. At the end of November, the Audi control committee wanted to appoint Schot as the fixed Audi CEO. However, formalities were still unclear at that time, At that time it was called from group circles, It was reportedly in particular to Schots upset in the 9-man Volkswagen Group Board, for which a resolution of the Volkswagen Group Supervisory Board was required.
His ambitions for a longer-term stay at the Audi top made Schot public in mid-October – in his only detailed so far Interview as Audi boss with manager magazin,
More: “We can also be proud”: Audi boss Bram Schot on his leadership style
Schot’s move was tactically clever. Because originally intended for the Audi chief executive Ex-BMW purchasing manager Markus Duesmann had thrown himself out of the race: Because his ex-employer insisted on the fulfillment of his contracts, Duesmann could only compete in late 2020 at the Ingolstadt. To bridge the gap for another two years with an interim solution – that was something the senior management of parent company VW did not want to expect from their premium subsidiary.
Therefore, they enabled the 57-year-old native Dutchman Schot one of the unusual in the group climbs: Rupert Stadler had brought Schot only in September 2017 as Chief Sales Officer to Audi, because he needed in the wake of the diesel affair new faces in the Audi leadership. Before that, Schot had been responsible for sales at VW’s commercial vehicle division – making it at home in a world far removed from the luxury ambience of the four-ring brand.
Schot began his career in the automotive industry at Mercedes-Benz, where he held management positions in the Netherlands and Italy. The marketing specialist came to the Volkswagen Group in 2011.
Schot has the backing of the works councils
As Audi sales chief Schot was not even a year in office, then he was simply lucky in misfortune. After the arrest of Stadler in June 2018 due to blackout danger, the VW Grands quickly needed a acting head at the Audi top. Schot made the race against Audi CFO Alexander Seitz because the works council members spoke in favor of the Dutchman.
In a personal conversation, the graduate in business economics seems looser than his predecessor, Stadler, who often appears a little wooden – without hesitation he offers the du word. He is quite direct, pragmatic and easy to approach, Schot says about himself. He does not always have simple but constructive discussions with employee representatives.
These should have been quite common in the past few months – because Schot had to take a few major hurdles right from the start. Audi is still struggling with the aftermath of the diesel crisis. The company had to do everything possible to get over the diesel crisis, Schot told its employees in a newsletter. The late conversion to the new exhaust standard WLTP, which led to larger supply failures, Schot has purposefully worked off.
With Audis planned electric car offensive Schot should be imminent but still some work in the future. Although the e-tron quattro electric SUV is already being mass-produced in Brussels, Audi recently unveiled a new sportier model in Los Angeles. However, the collaboration with Porsche for new e-models should not run smoothly.
Originally, the VW grandees wanted to install a technician as a successor to Stadler, with Schot they now have again a business economist at the top. The somewhat shirt-like appearing new Audi boss must show his developers soon that he can also offer ideas for the technical future of Audi. For in recent years, the brand, which advertises “Vorsprung durch Technik”, was not there at the front line.
Audi has long since left the diesel crisis behind. Currently, the Ingolstadt fight with KBA arranged recalls, with software updates, they are also in default. Schot has a lot to do in the coming months.