Ingolstadt, November 17, 2021 – Peter Kössler, member of Audi AG’s Production and Logistics Management Board since 2017, will retire as planned on February 1, 2022. His successor will be Gerd Walker, who started his career in Audi’s production department and is currently production manager of the Volkswagen Group in Wolfsburg.
Herbert Diess, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Audi, said: “Peter Kössler managed Audi production with confidence in a turbulent environment and set new standards, particularly In terms of quality, flexibility and sustainability. For that, he deserves our recognition and thanks. With Gerd Walker, Audi has acquired an experienced production specialist who will drive the transition to electric vehicles in Audi factories around the world. We wish He has achieved complete success in this important task.”
Peter Mosch, Chairman of the Audi General Union and Vice-Chairman of the Supervisory Board: “Peter Kössler is Audi through and through. He is characterized by a down-to-earth attitude, regional connections, reliability and a sense of responsibility for all employees, especially in terms of production. He fulfilled his responsibilities as a member of the Management Board with his sense of responsibility. Together with colleagues at all levels, he modernized Audi production with the project “P – Delivering the Future” and developed a vision for the technical and organizational development of this core area.
As a co-management partner, Kössler always treats employee representatives and employees equally. For that, on behalf of Audi employees, I would like to say thank you! We wish his successor, Mr. Gerd Walker, every success in his start at Audi and are delighted to welcome another person of regional origin to the management board. I wish successful cooperation!
Audi CEO Markus Duesmann summarizes: “In his more than four years as Board Member for Production and Logistics, Peter Kössler set essential courses for Audi’s future viability and promoted the consistent transition of production to digital and flexible processes.” His personal commitment to matters of sustainability also meant that the goal of making all our factories worldwide carbon neutral by 2025 is largely to his credit. “In the name of AUDI AG, I thank Peter Kössler from the bottom of my heart for his tireless commitment. As members of the Board of Directors, we have all accepted his decision to retire with sadness and wish him all the best for the future.”
Peter Kössler started his career at AUDI AG in 1986 as a trainee and held various management positions at Audi Production. From 2007 to 2015 he was Plant Manager at the largest Audi plant in Ingolstadt. He then moved to AUDI HUNGARIA Zrt., where he served as CEO until 2017. In addition, Kössler was a member of the Supervisory Board of AUDI AG from 2009 to 2017. In the following years, as a board member for production and logistics, he initiated the electrification of the global Audi production network and provided a clear roadmap for sustainable production worldwide for Audi’s “Mission Zero” environmental program. In addition, Peter Kössler made production more flexible and created a new, capability-oriented matrix organization for this purpose. This is one of the largest restructuring projects in the German automotive industry.
Together with Gerd Walker, an experienced production specialist is taking a board position at Audi and returning to Ingolstadt after stints in Wolfsburg and Györ. “Gerd Walker, who started his career at Audi, knows our brand and philosophy very well. It will advance production and attract people down the road. His mission is to get the most out of our factory while elevating electric vehicles, by 2025. Climate-neutral production at all plants in 2018 and further digitalisation and more flexible production,” said Audi CEO Markus Duesmann.
Born in Reutlingen in Baden-Württemberg, he started his career in 1997 as a part-time student in concept design at Audi. In 2009, he became production spokesman, before taking over production management at Audi Hungary for four years in 2012. Since 2016, the graduate mechanical engineer has held various management positions in Wolfsburg. There he has been in charge of Volkswagen Group production since 2018.