Major shakeup - Wolfgang Bernhard to leave Daimler

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Reuters  /  February 9, 2017

Daimler trucks chief Wolfgang Bernhard, a maverick manager once seen as a successor to CEO Dieter Zetsche, has made clear he does not want his contract extended, German magazine Der Spiegel said.

Bernhard's contract is due to expire in February 2018.

Spiegel said supervisory board members, who were going to discuss extending Bernhard's contract at a meeting on Friday, were surprised to learn that Bernhard, 56, would not stay on if offered an extension.

Bernhard's skills as a turnaround manager landed him top divisional jobs such as head of Mercedes-Benz cars, Chrysler and as CEO of the Volkswagen passenger car business in a wide ranging career in the auto industry.

But last year Daimler extended Zetsche's contract by three years, a move that effectively ruled out Bernhard as a potential successor.

Bernhard will be close to 60 in 2019 when Daimler is due to choose its next chief executive.

In February last year, Daimler also promoted Ola Kaellenius, a 46-year-old Swede, to become board member for R&D, a move that company insiders say made him a natural heir to Zetsche.

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Bernhard quits Daimler; Zetsche will be interim trucks boss

Automotive News Europe - Reuters  /  February 10, 2017

Daimler has confirmed that trucks chief Wolfgang Bernhard, a top manager once seen as a successor to CEO Dieter Zetsche, will leave the company "at his own request and for personal reasons."

Bernhard's contract had been due to expire in February 2018. The automaker gave no further details on the grounds for his departure.

"We regret this resolution, but we have a number of outstanding managers to succeed. We thank Wolfgang Bernhard for his committed work and respect his personal decision," Manfred Bischoff, chairman of the supervisory board, said in a statement.

Daimler said Bernhard will leave his role with immediate effect and Zetsche will take on his duties until a successor is appointed.

Bernhard's skills as a turnaround manager landed him top divisional jobs such as head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Chrysler and as CEO of the Volkswagen passenger car business in a wide ranging career in the auto industry.

But last year Daimler extended Zetsche's contract by three years, a move that effectively ruled out Bernhard as a potential successor.

Bernhard will be close to 60 in 2019 when Daimler is due to choose its next chief executive.

In February last year, Daimler also promoted Ola Kaellenius, a 46-year-old Swede, to become board member for r&d, a move that company insiders say made him a natural heir to Zetsche.

Bernhard's departure from Daimler was first reported on Thursday by Germany's Der Spiegel magazine.

 

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Head of Daimler Trucks & Buses resigns

Fleet Owner  /  February 13, 2017

Wolfgang Bernhard – the head of Daimler Trucks & Buses and a member of Daimler AG’s board of management – resigned last week “at his own request and for personal reasons,” according to the company.

In a statement, Daimler AG noted that Bernhard “has been released from his duties with immediate effect” and that Dieter Zetsche will head Daimler Trucks & Buses until a successor is appointed.

Bernhard leaves big shoes to fill on the commercial vehicle side of Daimler AG’s business. He took over the Mercedes-Benz Vans division in 2009 and then was tapped to join Daimler AG’s board of management in February 2010.

Until March 2013, he served as the board of management’s member for production and procurement at Mercedes-Benz Cars & Mercedes-Benz Vans before taking over as head of Daimler Trucks & Buses in April 2013.

Bernhard had championed a variety of different initiatives at Daimler AG, including the connected truck, which he believed needed to be “opened up” amongst the world’s truck makers.

“We need open platforms eventually to make connected truck platform valuable to customers,” he said during an event at the company’s headquarters last year. “We have to open it to everybody.”

He also believed that diesel power would remain “the most important ‘alternative’ in the United States” in terms of truck power for some time to come.

“We still have 200 times more diesel stations than natural gas stations, and engines must be up for the task of hauling long distances,” Bernhard explained in a speech a few years ago. “My alternative fuel is diesel because I don’t see any replacement for diesel in the long run.”

He also called for more “sensible” regulatory policies in the U.S. as well; a position that subsequently has become a major policy theme of the Trump administration.

“If the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] goes beyond the point where the customer is willing to pay for it, we are making a mistake,” he said. “The customer’s payback for buying new technology needs to be around 18 months. We should push EPA to use this rule of thumb and make sure we aren’t doing stupid things.”