Markus Duesmann to be new Audi CEO

• Supervisory Board Chairman Dr. Diess: “Markus Duesmann will do everything in his power to leverage the great potential of the Audi brand” / “Thank you to Bram Schot for his very successful work in a critical phase”
• Chairman of the General Works Council Mosch: “We expect courage to take the lead through technology” / “Bram Schot started the cultural change at Audi”

Ingolstadt: 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.”

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Audi Middle East Communications
Janice Hinson                                                   Madeleine Becker
Mobile: +971-56-994-3665                                  Mobile: +971-50-654-8824
Email: janice.hinson@audi.avme.ae                     Email: extern.madeleine.becker@audi.avme.ae 

The Audi Group, with its brands Audi, Ducati and Lamborghini, is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the premium segment. It is present in more than 100 markets worldwide and produces at 18 locations in 13 countries. 100 percent subsidiaries of AUDI AG include Audi Sport GmbH (Neckarsulm), Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy) and Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (Bologna, Italy).

In 2018, the Audi Group delivered to customers about 1.812 million automobiles of the Audi brand, 5,750 sports cars of the Lamborghini brand and 53,004 motorcycles of the Ducati brand. In the 2018 fiscal year, AUDI AG achieved total revenue of €59.2 billion and an operating profit before special items of €4.7 billion. At present, approximately 90,000 people work for the company all over the world, more than 60,000 of them in Germany. Audi focuses on sustainable products and technologies for the future of mobility.

AUDI AG’s commitment to the region was confirmed through the foundation of its fully owned subsidiary in 2005. The current Middle East model range comprises the Audi A3 & S3, A4 and S4, the A5/S5 Coupe Sportback and Cabriolet and RS 5 Coupe and Sportback, the A6, A7, A8, A8 L, the Audi Q3, Q5 & SQ5, Q7 and Q8, the Audi R8 Coupe, R8 Coupe V10 plus as well as the R8 V10 Spyder.

© Press Release 2019