The board of management and supervisory board of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft have made the decision to extensively revise the Group’s management structure. The reorganization will see Matthias Müller step down as chairman of the board of management and Dr Herbert Diess take his place, effective immediately.
Chairman of the supervisory board Hans Dieter Pötsch thanked Müller for his dedication: “Matthias Müller has done outstanding work for the Volkswagen Group. He assumed the chairmanship of the board of management in the fall of 2015 when the company faced the greatest challenge in its history.
“Not only did he safely navigate Volkswagen through that time; together with his team, he also fundamentally realigned the Group’s strategy, initiated cultural change and, with great personal commitment, made sure that the Volkswagen Group not just stayed on track but is now more robust than ever before. For that, he is due the thanks of the entire company.”
The introduction of the brand groups Volume, Premium and Super Premium, along with the planned preparation for capital market readiness of Truck & Bus, create the basis for a more subsidiary leadership of the Group.
The chairmen of the board of management responsible for the brand groups will be taking on additional group management roles. Following this reorganization, Herbert Diess will be responsible for group development and research, Rupert Stadler for group sales, and Oliver Blume for group production.
Additional group functions will be allocated according to the same principle. Due to the special significance of vehicle connectivity, Vehicle IT will be led by Herbert Diess himself; company IT will be headed by Frank Witter. Procurement and components are to be combined into one unit going forward.
The supervisory board also decided on two new appointments to the board of management: Dr Oliver Blume, chairman of the board of management at Porsche, will belong to the Group’s top governing body going forward.
In addition, Gunnar Kilian, who until now has served as secretary general of the Volkswagen Group Works Council, has been appointed the new member of the Group board of management for human resources.