Volkswagen boss: Herbert Diess receives surprising backing from VW

Herbert Diess

According to insiders, he barely escaped a layoff, but lost the position as head of the main VW brand, which he held alongside his duties as group leader.

(Photo: dpa)

Hamburg After the turbulence of the past few weeks and speculation about a possible replacement Volkswagen-Boss Herbert Diess received unusual backing from the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board. CFO Frank Witter read out on Thursday at the beginning of a conference call with journalists to present the quarterly figures a statement in which the top management the battered CEO express their trust.

He brought the most recent changes in management in connection with the ongoing restructuring of the group. It is not always easy to reconcile the interests of everyone involved.

However, it is not acceptable that a lot of internal information should leak out. Because that harms the company, emphasized Witter. “Rauch from Wolfsburg” is also a sign of the intense struggle for changes in the company. “But the most important message is that the Supervisory Board and the Management Board … are completely in agreement that our CEO Herbert Diess is in the lead in implementing our strategy,” said Witter, adding: “Believe me in his ambition and his The urge for quick and sustainable changes has not changed. “

Diess had to apologize to the supervisory board a few weeks ago after massive criticism of indiscretions from the supervisory board. According to insiders, he barely escaped a layoff, but lost the job as head of the main brand VW, which he held alongside his duties as a group leader. After that, the back of the chair picked up speed with other brands. Numerous managers have been replaced or relocated.

In the opinion of group experts, it remains to be seen whether Diess was able to strengthen its position as a result. However, he apparently is betting that Volkswagen will get new impetus for the conversion to a leading provider of electric vehicles, new mobility services and self-driving cars through new appointments.

More: 1.4 billion euros loss for Volkswagen – dividend will be cut

Go to source