Markus Duesmann

German business executive (born 1969)

Chairman of the Board of Management, Audi
Member of the Board of Management, Volkswagen Group

Years active1992–presentBoard member ofFC Bayern Munich

Markus Bernhard Duesmann (born 1969) is a German automotive manager and was Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi from 2020 to 2023.^[1]^[2] As a member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Group, he was responsible for Audi, Bentley, Ducati, and Lamborghini, too.

Early life and education

Duesmann spent his childhood in Rheine, Westphalia. After graduating from high school (1988), he studied mechanical engineering at the Münster University of Applied Sciences in Steinfurt until 1991.^[3]

Career

Duesmann began his career as an engineer at Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart. Later he moved to the development service provider FEV in Aachen. There he headed the engine division. In 2004, Duesmann returned to Stuttgart to DaimlerChrysler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz. In 2005 he became head of development for the F1 engines at McLaren-Mercedes.^[4]

At the beginning of 2007, Duesmann joined the BMW Group. There he was initially responsible for engine development for the BMW Sauber F1 team. He then worked his way into BMW's series production development. In 2016, Duesmann was appointed to the Board of Management of the BMW Group.^[5] Under his leadership, the company signed a billion-dollar collaboration with CATL.^[6]

In 2020, Duesmann was appointed to the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Group.^[7] The same year, he became Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi, which is part of the Volkswagen Group.^[8] Duesmann's main task was realigning the company after the diesel scandal.^[9] He called for a faster transition to battery electric vehicles (BEV) and set a definite end date for the production of ICE models at Audi.^[10] In 2022, he announced Audi's entry into Formula One starting 2026.^[11]

Duesmann left the company in 2023. He was succeeded by Gernot Döllner as Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi.^[12]

Other boards

While working for Volkswagen and Audi, Duesmann has assumed further mandates in Group companies. Furthermore, Duesmann was elected to the supervisory board of FC Bayern Munich AG in 2021; he was appointed second chairman of the board.^[13]

References

^ Miller, Joe (January 22, 2021). "Audi Boss Takes on Tesla From His Living Room". Financial Times. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
^ Fasse, Markus (November 17, 2019). "Markus Duesmann ist Audis neuer Hoffnungsträger". Handelsblatt (in German). Retrieved March 6, 2023.
^ "Markus Duesmann". Munzinger-Archiv (in German). June 2, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
^ Seiwert, Robert (April 1, 2020). "Neuer Audi-Chef mit Formel-1-Vergangenheit". Motorsport Magazin (in German). Retrieved January 23, 2023.
^ Schmidt-Lackner, Mirabell (September 2, 2016). "Von der Rennstrecke zum BMW-Vorstand". Automobilwoche (in German). Retrieved January 23, 2023.
^ "BMW Agrees $4.7 Bln Contract With China's Catl for Battery Cells". Reuters. July 9, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
^ McGee, Patrick (July 24, 2018). "VW Lines up Audi CEO Successor With New Boardmember". Financial Times. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
^ "Former BMW Executive Duesmann Named New CEO at Rival Audi". Associated Press. November 15, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
^ "BMW Executive Markus Duesmann Tasked With Reviving Audi". Reuters. November 15, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
^ Eddy, Nathan (June 21, 2021). "Audi CEO Reveals Timetable for Brand To Become Electric-only". Automotive News Europe. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
^ Nicola, Stefan (August 26, 2022). "Audi to Join Formula 1 With Car Running on Synthetic Fuel". Bloomberg. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
^ Murphy, Martin; Fasse, Markus; Tyborski, Roman (June 29, 2023). "Markus Duesmann muss gehen – Gernot Döllner wird Nachfolger". Handelsblatt (in German). Retrieved October 27, 2023.
^ "Markus Duesmann Joins FC Bayern München AG Supervisory Board". March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2023.