October 27, 2021 – Daimler is aligning the Management Board responsibilities between Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG to enable leaner decision-making in the wake of the separation of Trucks and Buses from Cars and Vans. After synchronizing the Board memberships of Mercedes-Benz AG and Daimler AG, the parent company Daimler is also due to be renamed Mercedes-Benz Group AG on February 1, 2022 to emphasize the company’s future focus on the car and van business.
As part of the overhaul, the Supervisory Board of Daimler AG is appointing Jörg Burzer, currently Member of the Board of Management responsible for Production and Supply Chain Management at Mercedes-Benz AG, to the Management Board of Daimler AG, effective December 1, 2021.
In addition to separating Daimler into two separate pure-play companies, more efficient governance structures are being created so that Mercedes-Benz can accelerate into a software-driven zero-emissions future. Jörg Burzer has played a decisive role in transforming the global production network of Mercedes-Benz into a highly efficient, digital, flexible and sustainable operation, capable of scaling up to meet the rapidly increasing demand for electric vehicles.
Jörg Burzer started his career in 1999 at the former DaimlerChrysler AG in vehicle pre-development. The doctorate engineer studied material science with a focus on metallurgy at the University of Erlangen (Germany) and spent study periods abroad at the Technical University of Copenhagen (Denmark) as well as at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Pretoria (South Africa).
Burzer, who has been Board Member at Mercedes-Benz AG responsible for Production and Supply Chain Management since 2019, was previously Head of Quality Management at Mercedes-Benz Cars. He will work alongside Markus Schäfer, currently Management Board Member at Daimler AG, responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Chief Operating Officer.
Going forward, Schäfer will be Chief Technology Officer and Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG, responsible for Development and Procurement. In this extended role, he will also assume overall responsibility for e-drive systems and car software – including connectivity and autonomous vehicle technology.
To complete the aligning of Management Board responsibilities between Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG, Hubertus Troska, currently Daimler AG Management Board Member responsible for Greater China, will also join the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG.