An Engineer At The Helm

Managing a large company requires a great amount of skill and talent. Surprisingly a good number of companies are not run by people who are direct experts in the field.  Take the case of a major airline company whose head is not a pilot but a lawyer.  It doesn’t mean that the company would be better run if a pilot was in charge. It just goes to show that managing a company is different from flying an airplane.

Daimler AG, the Germany multinational automotive company is actually led be someone who has been schooled and trained as an engineer; no lawyer is heading this company.  Dr. Dieter Zetsche is the chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG as well as head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

He graduated as an engineer having studied electrical engineering from 1971 to 1976 at the University of Karlshruhe. Zetsche then joined the research department of Daimler-Benz AG in 1976. He did well and became assistant to the Development Manager in the Commercial Vehicles business until 1981.

Zetsche furthered his academic studies and finished a doctorate in engineering at the University of Paderborn in 1982.  Over the years he received promotions and did overseas assignments.  He was at one time the CEO and president of Chrysler Group.  Dr. Zetsche has been a member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG since December 16, 1998 and chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG since January 2006.

It is of advantage to Daimler that its current head truly understands the dynamics of the company and how a car is put together.