Έπειτα από 30 χρόνια στην οικογένεια της Audi, ο επικεφαλής εξέλιξης της εταιρίας, Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg αποχωρεί, έχοντας έρθει σε αμοιβαία επωφελή συμφωνία με το Εποπτικό Συμβούλιο. Το όνομα του Hackenberg ήταν από τα πρώτα που είχαν εμπλακεί στο dieselgate σκάνδαλο και ενώ για μία χρονική περίοδο φαινόταν ότι γλύτωσε, τέθηκε σε διαθεσιμότητα με τους επικεφαλής R&D της Porsche και της Volkswagen και δύο μήνες μετά, αποχώρησε. Στα 30 χρόνια παρουσίας του στην Audi, ο Hackenberg μπορεί να καυχιέται για δημιουργία του αρθρωτού συστήματος που χρησιμοποιείται ευρέως στο Group αλλά και για την εξέλιξη μοντέλων όπως το Audi 80, τα A3, A4, A6, A8 και το Audi TT.
Την θέση του Hackenberg στη Γερμανική εταιρία, θα πάρει ο Dr. Stefan Knirsch. Η πορεία του Knirsch στην Audi ξεκίνησε το 1990 όταν προσελήφθη ως νεαρός μηχανικός στο τμήμα εξέλιξης κινητήρων της φίρμας. Το 1996 έγινε project manager στην Porsche και το 2001 έγινε επικεφαλής εξέλιξης κινητήρων εκεί. Ενδιαφέρον έχει το γεγονός ότι τον Ιούνιο που μας πέρασε, ο Knirsch είχε δηλώσει ότι αποχωρεί από την εταιρία. Προφανώς, κάτι τέτοιο δεν συνέβη και ο Knirsch θα αναλάβει καθήκοντα υπευθύνου R&D από την 1η Ιανουαρίου 2016.
Τέλος, να αναφέρουμε ότι ο Πρόεδρος του Δ.Σ. της Volkswagen, Matthias Muller, έγινε πρόεδρος και του Εποπτικού Συμβουλίου της Audi και αναλαμβάνει καθήκοντα άμεσα. Ο Berthold Huber θα συνεχίσει να έχει τη θέση του Αντιπροέδρου αλλά τις δύο κενές θέσεις που υπάρχουν στο Συμβούλιο θα καταλάβουν η Julia Kuhn-Piech και ο Josef Ahorner. Τα δύο νέα μέλη του Συμβουλίου συγγενεύουν με τον πρώην Πρόεδρο, Ferdinand Piech…
Για να διαβάσεις τις τελευταίες εξελίξεις σχετικά με το σκάνδαλο της Volkswagen πάτησε εδώ.
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Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg steps down from Board of Management of AUDI AG
- The Chairman of Audi’s Supervisory Board Matthias Müller praised Hackenberg’s significant impact on the Technical Development divisions of the entire Volkswagen Group
Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg has reached a mutual agreement with the Supervisory Board of AUDI AG to step down as Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development.
The new Chairman of the Audi Supervisory Board, Matthias Müller, praised Hackenberg’s significant impact on the Technical Development divisions of the entire Volkswagen Group: “Above all, the modular toolkit system is inseparably connected with the name of Ulrich Hackenberg. He had that idea already in the early nineties at Audi. Today, the entire Group profits from it.”
Audi’s Board of Management Chairman Rupert Stadler underscored his lifetime achievements: “In the 30 years that he was active in the Volkswagen Group, Ulrich Hackenberg was involved in crucial strategies and model decisions. The highly flexible modular system resulted in flexible modular production. Both systems helped us to produce very efficiently and with high quality. Numerous car models from Audi, Volkswagen and Bentley were significantly affected by his commitment and expertise. On behalf of the entire Board of Management, I thank him for his many years of commitment and his professional passion.”
After graduating in mechanical engineering at Aachen RWTH University, Ulrich Hackenberg was employed as an assistant at the Institute for Motor Transport from 1978 until 1985. Amongst other positions there, he was the head of research into vehicle dynamics, developed lectures in motorcycle technology and gained a doctorate in 1985 on the stability properties of the “rider-motorcycle-road” system.
Hackenberg moved to Audi in 1985, where he took over the position of Head of Concept Development in 1989 and later led the technical project management for the entire product range. That included the Audi 80, A2, A3, A4, A6, A8 and TT models as well as numerous concept studies and show cars, the technical conception of the modular toolkit strategy and the development of a simultaneous-engineering structure.
He was active in the Volkswagen Group from 1998 until 2002. There, he was head of the Body Development department and additionally responsible as of late 1998 for Concept Development.
From 2002 until January 2007, Hackenberg once again worked for AUDI AG and was in charge of the Concept Development, Body Development, Electrics and Electronics departments. During that time, he developed the “modular longitudinal toolkit.”
On February 1,2007, he became Member of Volkswagen’s Brand Board of Management with responsibility for the Technical Development division. He pushed forward with the further development and complete renewal of the Volkswagen product range and the development of the modular transverse toolkit. Further highlights were the XL1, the first series-produced “one‑liter car”, and the entry of the Volkswagen Brand into motorsport.
As of July 1, 2013, he was the Board of Management Member for Technical Development of AUDI AG. In addition, he was responsible for coordinating the development of all the brands of the Volkswagen Group.
Dr. Stefan Knirsch is new Board Member for Technical Development at AUDI AG
- Supervisory Board Chairman Müller: “Knirsch has a broad experience of the automotive industry”
- Audi CEO Stadler: “The new Head of Technical Development has a good knowledge of the Group and Audi”
Dr. Stefan Knirsch (49) will become the new Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at AUDI AG. This was decided upon by the Supervisory Board in its meeting on Thursday. Knirsch will take over this position as of January 1, 2016.
“Stefan Knirsch has a broad experience of the automotive industry, and not only from the perspective of a car manufacturer, but also of a supplier. These are excellent qualifications for his new task,” stated Matthias Müller, new Supervisory Board Chairman at Audi.
Audi Board of Management Chairman Rupert Stadler values Knirsch as a proven automotive specialist: “Stefan Knirsch has a good knowledge of the Group and of Technical Development at Audi. We know him as a creative and visionary man of action. With him, we will make a strong new start in this challenging situation.”
Stefan Knirsch came to Audi’s Engine Development department as a young engineer in 1990. In 1996, he moved to Porsche AG as a project manager, where he worked as head of base engine development from 2001 onwards.
After gaining a doctor’s degree at the Institute for Materials Technology of the University of Magdeburg in 2006, he took over the position of head of aftersales in the sales department of Porsche AG in 2007. In 2010, he became head of the corporate quality department at Porsche. After that, Knirsch moved as CEO of the Board of Management of Pierburg GmbH to the automotive division of Rheinmetall.
He returned to Audi in May 2013 and took over the position of Head of Powertrain.
Matthias Müller becomes Chairman of the Audi Supervisory Board
The Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, Matthias Müller, has joined the Supervisory Board of AUDI AG and becomes its Chairman with immediate effect. Berthold Huber will continue to be Deputy Chairman. Furthermore, the two vacant seats for members representing the shareholders will be newly occupied by Julia Kuhn Piëch and Josef Ahorner.
Matthias Müller has been a member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG since March 1, 2015 and its Chairman since September 25, 2015.
After completing high school in Ingolstadt, he did a toolmaker’s apprenticeship at Audi. He then studied informatics at the Munich University of Applied Sciences. After graduating in informatics, Müller continued his career at Audi in 1978, progressing to become the Head of Product Management for the Audi, Lamborghini and SEAT brands. From 2007 onwards, Müller was Head of Product Management for the Volkswagen Group and the VW brand as well as Executive Vice President of the Volkswagen Group. From 2010 until September 2015, Matthias Müller was Chairman of the Board of Management of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.
Josef Ahorner (55) is the chairman of the supervisory board and main shareholder of Emarsys AG, and was a member of the shareholder committee of Salzburger Porsche Holding from 1996 until 2008.
Julia Kuhn-Piëch (34) is a real estate manager and a member of the supervisory boards of MAN SE and the Truck & Bus division of MAN AG.
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