Volkswagen Revealed New Management Structure for its Brand

COO Brandstätter to be responsible for the brand’s product lines

Image Attribute:  Renehesse / Source: Pixabay.com

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand is consistently orienting its management structure towards future-oriented topics. In connection with the redistribution of tasks within the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management, there are to be various changes including the creation of a new “Digital Car & Services” division with effect from March 1. This way, the brand aims to increase its implementation power and speed in view of the breathtaking pace of development in digitalization and automobile connectivity.

In the future management structure of the Volkswagen brand, the COO is to be responsible for the product lines and quality assurance. Volkswagen is, therefore, bundling responsibility for its products and strengthening the steering of its business operations. In addition, the Technical Development department is receiving considerably more leeway for conceptual development work and Group tasks. Software competence is to be pooled within the new Digital Car and Services Board division. In the new structure, responsibility for the procurement activities of the Group and the brand is to be grouped together.

The details of the changes are outlined below:

COO Ralf Brandstätter is to be responsible for the value engineering and quality assurance of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand. The Product Safety Committee is to remain under the responsibility of CEO Dr. Herbert Diess. This change will provide the CEO with greater leeway for shouldering the strategic tasks faced by the Group.

In addition, COO Brandstätter is to assume responsibility for the Small, Compact and Mid/Full product lines, which previously reported to Dr. Frank Welsch. As Head of Technical Development, Welsch will be able to focus more strongly on his additional function as Head of Group Research and Development and to forge ahead with the development of alternative powertrains, future-oriented assistance systems and sustainable mobility for the brand. The E-Mobility product line will remain the responsibility of the E-Mobility Board division.

The newly created Board division Digital Car & Services, which is to be built up and managed by Christian Senger from March 1 onwards, will group together the software activities of the brand. In addition, as Head of Digital Car & Services Group, Senger will be responsible for Group-wide cooperation on software concepts and smart mobility concepts. This way, Volkswagen is significantly strengthening its own software development activities within the brand and the Group. Christian Senger previously headed the Volkswagen brand’s e-Mobility Product Line; he took charge of setting up this line and was instrumental in driving the brand’s electric offensive forward. He was responsible for the MEB, the modular electric toolkit, and for the vehicles belonging to the ID. family. Christian Senger’s successor as Head of the e-Mobility Product Line is to be decided shortly.

Group Board member Dr. Stefan Sommer is to be responsible for the procurement activities of the Group and the brand. The responsibility of the Group Board of Management member for the procurement activities of the core Volkswagen brand will help in slimming down internal processes and leveraging synergy effects.