Markus Duesmann to Be New Audi CEO

Markus Duesmann will become the new CEO of Audi on April 1, 2020. The 50-year-old mechanical engineer will succeed Bram Schot, who has held the position since June 2018. Duesmann has been active in the automotive industry for almost three decades, most recently as Board of Management Member for Purchasing at BMW. Bram Schot, 58, will leave the Group at the end of March by best mutual agreement.
The Chairman of the Supervisory Board of AUDI AG, Dr. Herbert Diess, commented on the change of CEO: “As an excellent engineer, Markus Duesmann will do everything in his power to leverage the great potential of the Audi brand and will once again demonstrate the promise of Vorsprung durch Technik”. At the same time, Dr. Diess thanked the current Chairman of the Board of Management, Bram Schot: “He took over the management of AUDI AG at a difficult time, very successfully managed the business and initiated important changes. We expressly thank him for that.” Among the most important cornerstones of the new Audi strategy are the accelerated transformation into a provider of sustainable mobility and the determined decarbonization of the company.
The Chairman of the General Works Council of AUDI AG and Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Peter Mosch: “We expect Markus Duesmann and his management team to ensure stable capacity utilization at the plants and to promote more courage to take the lead through technology. We look forward to positive cooperation in the interests of the employees and the company.” Mosch commented on Bram Schot: “The right man at Audi at the right time. He started a cultural transformation towards fewer hierarchies, a clear value system and more openness. In mid-2018, Schot assumed responsibility for the company in a very difficult situation.”
Background Information
Audi
Audi is a German manufacturer of a range of automobiles, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand. The company is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Germany, and has been a wholly owned (99.55%) subsidiary of Volkswagen AG since 1966.
Currently, Audi's sales are growing strongly in Europe. Its 2007 worldwide sales have been released as 964,151 vehicles sold - a record for the brand. In 2008, Audi has achieved the 13th record year in a row passing the 1 million unit mark with 1,003,400 sold units.