ZF chairman Scheider to leave by early-2023

Wolf-Henning Scheider the chairman of ZF has informed the Supervisory Board at that he did “not wish to extend his contract, which expires in January 2023.” After a career spanning more than 30-years in the automotive industry and reaching the age of 60, Scheider has decided to end his active time in the industry at the end of the year, to pursue other challenges. 

Scheider had moved from Mahle to ZF in 2018 and under his leadership ZF and was instrumental in acquiring Wabco, which set the course for the company to become a full systems supplier in the commercial vehicle business.

In the last two years he has also steered the company through two major crises – Covid-19 and the semiconductor shortage, which the company says he mastered mastered very well thanks to a strong team performance and is now back on track for growth and profits.

Dr. Heinrich Hiesinger, chairman of the Supervisory Board, regretted Scheider’s decision, but also expresses understanding for his desire to pursue different paths again, after many years in prominent and demanding management positions in the automotive industry. “Wolf-Henning Scheider has contributed quite decisively over the past four years, to ZF’s development into a leading supplier of cutting-edge electronic and mechatronic systems in its business fields.”

Andreas Brand and Dr. Joachim Meinecke, representing the two owners, the Zeppelin Foundation and the Dr. Jurgen-and-Irmgard-Ulderup Foundation said, “The fact that ZF is back on track, after the past two years of crisis, is also due to Wolf-Henning Scheider’s work. We regret his personal decision, but also respect it. We thank him for his very successful commitment and excellent cooperation over the past four years.”

Scheider will fulfill his current contract and affirms that he will devote all his efforts to achieving the goals laid out for 2022. 

Also read: ZF’s 2021 sales up 17 percent, on track for carbon neutrality