Thank you, Mr. Pötsch.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to begin by thanking the Supervisory Board for the trust they have placed in me. I am very conscious of the responsibility that comes with my new position. And I look forward to embracing this challenge together with our brands and our Group workforce.
So what is our plan for the second phase in the realignment of our brand network? As Mr. Pötsch mentioned, the basis for this comprises Strategy 2025. There is no reason to question the course we have established. The aim now is to continue this course with vigor and focus. In an extremely challenging competitive environment, we must once again significantly step up our pace. Our goal is to make the Volkswagen Group one of the leading companies in our industry in terms of profitability, innovativeness and sustainability. And we are well on track toward achieving that.
I, too, would like to take this opportunity to thank Matthias Müller for his contribution over the past few years. As Chairman of the Group Board of Management, he at all times promoted and supported all activities and agreements in the brands fully and unconditionally – from the Future Pact through to the numerous product-related decisions for the brand. With his work in Group management, he has paved the way for us now to continue our Company’s realignment from a position of greater strength.
One of the key levers for this is the extensive revision of the Group structure initiated yesterday by the Supervisory Board. The revision is based on the conviction that strong brands should by managed by a lean Group. The Volkswagen Group’s new management structure is aligned around this purpose.
So what specifically are we planning? As a result of this revision to its structure, the Volkswagen Group will be organized into six operating units and the China region:
The introduction of the brand groups Volume, Premium and Super Premium, along with the planned capital market readiness preparations for Truck & Bus, create the basis for a more subsidiary leadership of the Group.
The Chairmen of the Board of Management responsible for the brand groups will be taking on additional cross-brand Group management roles. This spreads managerial responsibility close to the operating business across multiple shoulders. Rupert Stadler will thus be responsible for Group Sales, Oliver Blume for Group Production and Frank Witter for Corporate IT. Additional Group functions will be allocated according to the same principle. I will be in charge of Group Research & Development and Vehicle IT. My role as Chairman of the Board of Management also encompasses responsibility for the senior executives and their potential development, organizational development for the Group as well as brand and product strategy.
With this new, more compact structure, we are laying the groundwork to be faster in our decision-making and implementation. We are streamlining the Group’s management and strengthening our brands with greater responsibility within the brand groups. And, in this way, we are harnessing synergies more systematically than before.
The direction of thrust for the revision of our Group and management structure is thus clear. We will channel all our energies into fleshing out the details in the weeks and months ahead.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
With our new structure, we are pushing forward our transformation process in every sphere of activity. And in doing so, we can build on sound foundations. The Volkswagen Group is a union of strong brands with great potential. Management is provided by a lean Group. Our Strategy 2025 is right. Our results are positive. So this is about an evolution, not a revolution.
We are addressing with vigor the special challenges that lie ahead of us – notably in the areas of e-mobility, digitalization and new mobility services. Furthermore, we will resolutely continue to drive the cultural change that has already begun in the Group. And we will further enshrine integrity and compliance throughout the organization.
We will deliver on our promise and make Volkswagen Group a world-leading provider of sustainable mobility. In the process, we are conscious of Volkswagen’s importance and our special responsibility for Germany as a business location and above all for our 640,000 employees worldwide.
Ladies and Gentlemen, that is what I stand for. That is what I – together with my colleagues on the Board of Management and the entire Group workforce – will work to achieve with our concerted energy.