Volkswagen AG announced the appointment of Thomas Schäfer as Chief Operating Officer or COO of the Volkswagen brand effective April 1. He will subsequently take over as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Volkswagen brand with effect from July 1, 2022. Schäfer will also join the Group Board of Management as the member responsible for the 'Volume' Brand Group. Ralf Brandstätter will continue to serve as Volkswagen brand CEO until June 30.

From August 1, he will take responsibility for the Group Board of Management's China Division. The new COO, Schäfer, will initially continue with his current role of CEO of the SKODA Auto brand. With effect from July 1, he will be succeeded by Klaus Zellmer as the new CEO of SKODA AUTO.

Zellmer is currently member of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars Board of Management responsible for Sales, Marketing and After Sales. A decision on his successor will be announced at a later date. Schäfer began his career at Daimler AG in Stuttgart in 1994, where he held various senior management positions.

Schäfer joined the Volkswagen Group in 2012, initially heading the Group's International Production unit. He became Chairman and Managing Director of Volkswagen Group South Africa in 2015, and Chairman of the Board of Management of SKODA AUTO a. s. in August 2020.