Volkswagen's Ex-compliance Chief Will Receive a Minimum $12 Million Severance, Plus Pension

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Christine Hohmann-Dennhardt, Volkswagen’s outgoing compliance chief, will receive at least $12 million for her time with the company — with the possibility for as much as $16.1 million (15 million euros). Hohmann-Dennhardt, who was brought on to get VW through its messy emissions crisis, was canned by the automaker last week. The company attributed the “amicable” split to a “disagreement in the understanding of responsibilities and future operating structures within the function she leads.”

New reports indicate that a central aspect of those disagreements involved Volkswagen’s upper management attempting to stop Hohmann-Dennhardt from exposing any additional information on how the emissions scandal transpired.

According to Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, she routinely clashed with the company’s head of legal affairs, Manfred Döss. While technically a subordinate to Hohmann-Dennhardt, Döss is a close associate of the Porsche-Piech families and had been highly critical of her work as compliance chief.

Volkswagen did not initially mention that Hohmann-Dennhardt would be eligible for such a substantial payout — in addition to an 8,000 euro monthly pension — after leaving before the end of her contract, instead claiming that she is being paid what is owed to her. The large sum allegedly exists as compensation for the duration of her contract with VW and for her time at Daimler when Volkswagen recruited her.

“A contract being fulfilled is a normal process. I have nothing to hide,” she told Suedeutsche Zeitung in an interview.

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Philadlj Philadlj on Jan 31, 2017

    What, she doesn't get a Bugatti Chiron?

  • Jpolicke Jpolicke on Jan 31, 2017

    Twelve million for a year's service! You can bet that she dug up something juicy. The cash undoubtedly came with an iron clad NDA, and probably an agreement never to travel to the USA.

    • See 1 previous
    • Vaujot Vaujot on Feb 01, 2017

      @pdq I think international legal assistance does not work as easily as you seem to think it does.

  • Corey Lewis Corey Lewis on Jan 31, 2017

    I love the silence which blankets all after a pile of money is presented.

  • SCE to AUX SCE to AUX on Jan 31, 2017

    VW really wants to quiet things down, but I'm not sure this is the way to do it.

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