You
have to be pretty knowledgeable to run a huge company like Volkswagen. Martin Winterkorn fits the bill. Before
joining the company he already had impressive academic credentials. Martin was born on May 24, 1947 in Leonberg, Germany.
He studied metallurgy and metal physics at the University of Stuttgart from 1966
to 1973. Martin received his doctorate
in 1977 after having studied from 1973 to 1977 at the Max-Planck-Institute for
Metal Research and Metal Physics.
He
then began his career in 1977 joining the private sector as a specialist
assistant in the research division “Process Engineering” at Robert Bosch GmbH.
Martin headed the refrigerant compressor development group “Substance and
Processes” at Robert Bosch GmbH and Bosch-Siemens-Hausgeräte GmbH.
By
1993 Martin was
working as head of “Group Quality Assurance” at Volkswagen AG. In March 1994 he
was appointed General Manager of Volkswagen AG with power of attorney. From
June 1995 Martin was also additionally responsible for VW Group Product
Management. He became Member of the Brand Board of Management for “Technical
Development” for the Volkswagen brand. In July 2000, he became Member of the VW
Group Board of Management for Technical Development.
Martin
had a big hand with the introduction of the New Beetle. He was instrumental in
getting then Volkswagen CEO Ferdinand Piëch to approve its production.
In
March 2002 Martin became Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG. He was
in charge of the Audi brand group; this included SEAT and Lamborghini, which
was formed on January 2002. In his role as CEO of the Board of Management of
Audi AG, Martin was also Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG.
After
having climbed the corporate ladder beginning in 1977, Martin became the CEO of
Volkswagen AG in January 1, 2007.
The
Volkswagen Group is popularly known as a car manufacturer but it also into
truck production and other mobility related services. Brands
under its belt include Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Porsche, Scania, and Man.
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