Oliver Hoffmann will head Audi’s Technical Development. At its meeting today, the Supervisory Board appointed the division’s current Chief Operating Officer to the Board of Management of AUDI AG, effective March 1, 2021. CEO Markus Duesmann has been realigning Technical Development, fulfilling two roles since mid-June 2020 and placing a particular focus on process quality. Hoffmann has already played a key role in this process for the past nine months.
Dr. Herbert Diess, Chair of the Supervisory Board of AUDI AG: “This appointment is another element in shaping the new Audi. Oliver Hoffmann is an accomplished engineer with the right leadership qualities to head up the technical heart of this premium brand. I would say his top priorities now lie in accelerating the expansion of the product portfolio towards e-mobility, developing new technological spearheads and cooperating closely with his partners in development across the Volkswagen Group.” Peter Mosch, Deputy Chair of the Supervisory Board and Chair of the General Works Council: “His appointment is welcome news for staff at both German sites. Oliver Hoffmann knows Audi inside out. His job now is to inspire his colleagues in the development teams for Audi’s transformation. In times of such great structural and technological change in the automotive industry, this is of the utmost importance to us in the Works Council.”
The new Head of Development will be able to hit the ground running in March. Thanks to his work in Neckarsulm and subsequently as Chief Operating Officer, Hoffmann is a familiar face and leader to Audi’s ten thousand-strong development team. In recent months, he has reorganized the structure of his division and has devoted himself with passion to establishing the new corporate culture alongside running the operating business of automotive development.
Markus Duesmann, CEO of the Board of Management of AUDI AG: “Vorsprung durch Technik is an attitude shared by everyone here at Audi – regardless of whether or not they work directly in engineering. Oliver Hoffmann and his development team will add a new shine to the four rings.” Duesmann points out that the company is currently in the midst of a double transformation: Technologically, pursuing its rapid roadmap towards e-mobility and digitalization, and as a huge team, working towards agile, trust-based collaboration. “As a long-time Audi colleague who has dedicated a third of his life to our brand, Oliver Hoffmann is a great choice to take on this management role. He stands for true integrity and team spirit. For me, those things are the prerequisite for shaping a new way of working together.”
Oliver Hoffmann has evidenced his technical expertise in quality assurance at Lamborghini, in Neckarsulm, Germany, and at the world’s largest engine plant in Győr, Hungary. Having spent several years heading Powertrain Development in Győr and later in Ingolstadt, he joined Audi Sport in 2017 as Head of Technical Development, where he was appointed Managing Director in 2018. The year 2019 saw Hoffmann take on two further management roles: Head of Technical Development at the Neckarsulm site and Head of Powertrain Development at AUDI AG. Since June 2020, he has been Chief Operating Officer in the Technical Development.