Audi’s supervisory board has appointed Bram Schot as the new chairman of the board of management effective January 1, 2019.
Schot, previously Audi’s sales chief, was named as interim chief executive in June following the arrest of then-CEO Rupert Stadler. The German automaker moved to fire Stadler in early October, shortly before he was released from custody.
“With the appointment of a new Chairman of the Board of Management, we have laid important groundwork for Audi’s future orientation”, Audi Supervisory Board chairman and VW Group chief executive Dr. Herbert Diess said.
“As interim CEO, Bram Schot has already done a convincing job in recent months. He is pushing forward with the cultural change in his team and is effectively tackling the current challenges.”
As the chairman of the board of management of Audi AG, Schot will also oversee Ducati, Lamborghini, and Italdesign Giugiaro. Temporarily, he will also be the board member responsible for Sales and Marketing.
Before being appointed interim chief executive in June, Schot was responsible for Marketing and Sales on the Board of Management of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles since 2012. Prior to that, he was the president and chief executive of Mercedes-Benz Italia.
While Schot’s future has been secured, it remains unclear what will happen next to Rupert Stadler. He was released from custody in late October, but no details were given concerning his release. However, it’s been confirmed that he is still under investigation for suspected fraud and false advertising related to the Volkswagen diesel emissions cheating scandal.
Stadler was arrested in mid-June after his apartment was raided by Munich prosecutors who thought he could obstruct ongoing investigations into dieselgate.
