It seems like it was just yesterday that Oliver Blume was appointed the head of our favorite sports car brand, but wouldn’t you know it, that announcement was made all the way back in September of 2015! Blume first came on to our radar back in 2013 when he was appointed to Porsche’s executive board as the man responsible for the company’s production and logistics. After these seven long years with Blume at the helm, he’ll follow his predecessor Matthias Müller into the role of Volkswagen Group CEO. Müller was replaced by Herbert Diess in 2018 after the former was ousted by the board. It will be interesting to see how long Blume can last as the head of VW Group, because he’ll be the company’s fifth chief since 2000.
Blume will take over as CEO of Volkswagen Group on September 1st, as well as taking over as Chairman of the Board of Management for the group. As of right now, it is expected that Blume will continue on as CEO of Porsche in addition to his new roles long term. It’s possible he will even continue on as CEO of both companies even after the alleged upcoming Porsche initial public offering.
The Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Hans Dieter Pötsch, thanked Herbert Diess on behalf of the entire board: “During his tenure as Chairman of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars Brand and as Chairman of the Group Board of Management, Herbert Diess played a key role in advancing the transformation of the company. The Group and its brands are viable for the future; its innovative capabilities and earning power are strengthened. Mr. Diess impressively demonstrated the speed at which and consistency with which he was able to carry out far-reaching transformation processes. Not only did he steer the company through extremely turbulent waters, but he also implemented a fundamentally new strategy.”
“Oliver Blume has proven his operational and strategic skills in various positions within the Group and in several brands and has managed Porsche AG from a financial, technological and cultural standpoint with great success for seven years running. From the Supervisory Board’s point of view, he is now the right person to lead the Group and to further enhance its customer focus and the positioning of its brands and products”, continued Pötsch
Under Blume, Porsche has had multiple years of solid sales and even growth in the face of unprecedented global turmoil. He’s also overseen Porsche’s increased focus on electromobility and the phenomenal success of the Taycan. For these reasons, in addition to the man’s unerring commitment to the VW Group, Blume is a natural choice for the role. Here’s hoping the added pressure and responsibility doesn’t detract from his commitments to running Porsche.