► New Audi CEO confirmed
► Gernot Döllner a VW strategy expert
► New boss starts on 1 September
Audi has a new CEO in Gernot Döllner. Döllner replaces Markus Duesmann, who had been boss of the VW Group premium brand since April 2020. Gernot Döllner currently works as head of Group Strategy within the VW Group before he starts at Audi.
Reuters reports dissatisfaction in the ranks with Audi’s recent performance, with overall VW Group CEO Oliver Blume reshuffling the leadership within the group for a second time during his short tenure. Delays to the Q6 e-Tron SUV, for example, have dented Audi’s electrification strategy compared to BMW or Mercedes-Benz.
Duesmann has been at the helm of Audi for three years, steering the brand out of the Covid pandemic and its related supply constraints, and being the talking head for Audi’s announcement into joining Formula 1 in 2026.
‘Markus Duesmann deserves our sincere thanks for all he has done at Audi. He launched an ambitious electrification strategy, achieved an important strategic milestone with the E-Roadmap and by setting the course for a complete switch to e-mobility, created a clear framework, at an early stage, for the systematic reorganisation of Audi,’ says Hans Dieter Pötsch, Chairman of Volkswagen’s Supervisory Board.
Audi’s new CEO, Döllner, will start his new role on 1 September 2023.