Gunnar Herrmann is executive director, Business Transformation, Ford of Germany, leading the implementation of Ford’s Sprint to 6 Reset & Redesign plan in Germany, reporting to Steven Armstrong, group vice president and president, Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Herrmann also is chairman, Ford-Werke GmbH.
Prior to his appointment as executive director, Business Transformation, Ford of Germany, Herrmann served as vice president, Quality, Ford of Europe, beginning in September 2012.
Hermann joined Ford in 1986 in body engineering at the company’s Merkenich engineering centre in Germany. After an assignment in the United States, Herrmann returned to Germany in 1994 to become the supervisor for the body engineering development for the original Ford Focus, a role he held until early 1997. He subsequently became manager for quality and in-cycle action for C-segment vehicle production at Ford’s Saarlouis plant in Germany.
In 1998, Herrmann assumed responsibility for production quality in all of Ford’s European manufacturing facilities, before becoming chief engineer for the development of the original Ford C-MAX the following year. From 2001 to 2002, he was chief engineer for the entire Ford C-car range, and in June 2002 he was named vehicle line director, Global C-Segment Vehicles, responsible for developing Focus and other vehicles on the C-segment platform for global production.
Born in Leverkusen, Germany, in 1959, Herrmann graduated with a degree in automotive engineering from the University of Hamburg. He also holds a Master of Science degree in advanced automotive engineering from the University of Loughborough in the UK.
Herrmann lives in Leverkusen and is married with two children. Aside from his passion for driving, he enjoys skiing, cooking and vintage motorcycles and classic cars.