Audi has announced the appointment of Bram Schot as the new chairman of the board to replace Rupert Stadler, whose contract was terminated after his arrest in June 2018.
Schot – who has headed up the Ingolstadt-based firm as interim CEO since Stadler’s imprisonment – will assume the role on 1 January, 2019. In addition, Schot will continue to “temporarily” hold the board responsibility for sales and marketing, a position he has held since September 2017.
Schot’s role as chairman of Audi AG will mean he oversees the Audi brand itself as well as Ducati, Lamborghini and Italdesign Giugiaro.
The 57-year-old was born in the Netherlands and was from 2012 responsible for marketing and sales on the board of management of Volkswagen commercial vehicles. Before that, in 2011, he left his position as president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Italia to move to the Volkswagen Group, where he was at first responsible for strategic projects in the Group’s sales division.
“With the appointment of a new chairman of the board of management, we have laid important groundwork for Audi’s future orientation. As interim CEO, Bram Schot has already done a convincing job in recent months,” said Herbert Diess, Audi supervisory board chairman and VW Group CEO.
“He is pushing forward with the cultural change in his team and is effectively tackling the current challenges. With the benefit of a strong mandate, he will further accelerate the transformation of the company and lead the Four Rings to new successes,” Diess added.
Interestingly, a report from July suggested Markus Duesmann, BMW’s former head of purchasing and suppliers, was in line to be named head of Audi.
