Report to the Bridge: Audi AG Sees an Upper Ranks Shakeup
Audi announced a rather high-level reorganization of management on Monday as it continues grappling with life after Volkswagen Group’s diesel-emissions scandal.
The automaker is still on the receiving end of numerous criminal investigations and vehicle recalls, as well as criticism from unions. But four of its board members aren’t coming along for the ride. Audi AG is replacing CFO Axel Strotbek, production chief Hubert Waltl, human resources head Thomas Sigi and sales chief Dietmar Voggenreiter, effective at the end of this month.
Interestingly, CEO Rupert Stadler, who has received criticism for his handling of the diesel crisis, will persist as CEO of the company. The supervisory board extended his contract in May.
According to Automotive News, VW’s commercial vehicles’ sales head Bram Schot was chosen to take Voggenreiter’s position, while CFO Strotbek will be succeeded by Alexander Seitz (who has been embedded in Volkswagen’s joint venture with Chinese automaker SAIC).
Audi has named VW manager Wendelin Goebel, a trusted associate of VW CEO Matthias Müller and Audi’s own Stadler, to replace Sigi as head of personnel. Meanwhile, Peter Koessler, the chief of Audi’s plant in Gyor, Hungary, was tapped succeed Waltl as production lead.
Germany’s Manager Magazin reported on the planned reshuffle near the end of July, stating Mueller had already informed the four executives at an Audi board meeting about their imminent dismissal — which is a pretty brutal way to find out you’re losing your job.
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Most of these beheadings are predictable - the usual suspects in response to a legal scandal that's actually costing the company major dollars. But it is significant they're axing their head of human resources as well. This is a rare and unusual move. Since HR just dumbly, slavishly do what the leaders tell them to do, it can't, legitimately, be punishment for the massive personnel malfeasance uncovered by the scandal (which, technically, some of the other victims can be). Since that malfeasance came directly from the top. But optics and scapegoatng I guess take precedence, as always in the corporate world.
What's really criminal (or at least idiotic)? The stupid power output emblem scheme they've dreamed up (like "50 TSI"). Why not just put the list price on the back? http://www.autoextremist.com/on-the-table1/2017/8/29/august-30-2017.html
That's it, I'm naming my kid Dietmar.