Fazel takes over from Weckbach as Volkswagen Group Chief Strategist
In his new role, Fazel will report directly to Group CEO Oliver Blume—just as his predecessors did, all of whom held these three positions simultaneously. The newly appointed Volkswagen Group Chief Strategist is no stranger to managing multiple responsibilities: Fazel previously served as Chief Operating Officer of Volkswagen Group Components and, concurrently, as Head of Strategy and Platform Business for Volkswagen Group Technology.
He succeeds Stefan Weckbach, who, as recently reported, is leaving the company of his own accord. It remains unclear where Weckbach, a trusted ally of Blume and long-time Porsche executive, will move next. Blume reportedly would have liked to send the former Taycan chief developer back to Stuttgart as his successor at the helm of Porsche. However, Weckbach was allegedly not the preferred candidate of the Porsche and Piëch families for this role due to his lack of board-level experience. As is now known, former McLaren CEO Michael Leiters will take over as the new Porsche CEO.
“We would like to thank Stefan Weckbach for his strong commitment over the past years. With his expertise, he has driven key future projects such as Scout and our joint venture with Rivian and played a decisive role in positioning Volkswagen as the Global Automotive Tech Driver,” says Oliver Blume. ” I am pleased that Ludwig Fazel, an experienced strategist, will take over this important role. He has repeatedly demonstrated that he is able to successfully advance a core area of our company in challenging environments — both operationally and strategically. I am confident that we will successfully tackle the tasks ahead together.”
Fazel has been part of the Volkswagen Group since 2017. After studying Technology and Management-Oriented Business Administration at the Technical University of Munich and the Nanyang Business School in Singapore, he worked from 2008 to 2017 as a management consultant at Roland Berger. At Volkswagen, he has “played a key role in transforming the Group’s components business and making it future-proof,” according to the company.
Most recently, as Chief Operating Officer of Volkswagen Group Components, he oversaw the global production network with around 65,000 employees. “In parallel, Fazel led the strategic direction of the Volkswagen Group Technology division, which includes Volkswagen Group Components as well as the Battery and Charging & Energy business areas,” Volkswagen states about Fazel’s recent activities. He also expanded the sale of platforms and components to external partners such as Ford and Mahindra within the Group—primarily focusing on the MEB electric platform.
This article was first published by Sebastian Schaal for electrive’s German edition.
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