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.”