Leadership Transitioning at Supplier ZF

Industrial engineer and former management consultant Holger Klein will become chairman and CEO of ZF Friedrichshafen as of Jan. 1, 2023, the automotive supplier announces.

Klein, 52, currently serves ZF as a member of the Board of Management responsible for the Asia-Pacific region, Car Chassis Technology Div., Aftermarket and Production. He will assume the role of deputy chairman of the ZF Board of Management on Oct. 1 before succeeding Wolf-Henning Scheider as chairman and CEO.

Klein joined ZF in 2014 as an international industry expert from the McKinsey management consultancy. Starting in 2015, he led the integration of U.S.-based TRW Automotive post-acquisition and completed the process earlier than planned.

In early 2017, Klein became Head of the Car Chassis Technology Div. and realigned its product range with ZF’s “Next Generation Mobility” strategy. He has served as a member of the ZF Board of Management since 2018 and heads the Asia-Pacific and India regions from Shanghai.

In addition, Klein manages the business of the Passenger Car Chassis Technology and Aftermarket divisions and is responsible for ZF’s worldwide production. Under his leadership, ZF won traditional and new automotive OEMs in Asia as customers of the supplier’s strategic and future-oriented products, ZF says in a statement.

Klein also spearheaded the creation of new development centers and production facilities, especially in China, to capitalize on rapid technological change and enable ZF’s business expansion.

“As a board member, Dr. Holger Klein was intimately involved in the strategic planning process for the coming years. Therefore, he will dynamically continue the successful transformation at ZF and add his own impulses,” says Supervisory Board Chairman Heinrich Hiesinger.

Scheider, 60, joined ZF in 2018 as Chairman of the Board of Management and CEO after serving as chairman of the Automotive Technology business sector at Robert Bosch, as well as chairman and CEO of Mahle Group. Scheider currently is in charge of R&D as well as sales for ZF Group.

“Wolf-Henning Scheider has set the strategic direction for the transformation of the company, achieved significant milestones, and will continue on this path with ZF through the end of the year to enable a transition focused on continuity,” Hiesinger says.