Friedrichshafen,
Germany. ZF Friedrichshafen AG’s Supervisory Board has appointed Dr. Martin
Fischer as a new member of the ZF Board of Management. The 49-year-old,
who holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering, is expected to join the Board on 1
November, 2019, and will take over from Dr. Franz Kleiner at the start of 2020,
who will then retire.
“Dr. Martin
Fischer has worked in leading functions with major automotive suppliers for
around two decades, many years of which were also spent in the USA. During this
time, he gathered extensive experience in electronics,” explained Dr.
Franz-Josef Paefgen, chairman of the Supervisory Board. “Following his
positions in the areas of body electronics, chassis electronics and driver
assist systems, he most recently shaped the transformation from conventional to
electrified transmissions and as such is very well versed in the challenges
facing our industry today.”
Dr.
Martin Fischer studied engineering at the Technical University in Darmstadt and
received his doctorate in the field of electrical engineering from the same
university in 1999. Following a graduate program at Siemens Automotive, he took
over a range of responsibilities including the product areas of chassis electronics
and wireless products at Siemens VDO Automotive, before joining automotive
supplier Hella in 2006. At Hella, Fischer held a range of top management roles
in the Electronics business – initially in Germany and then from 2007 in the
USA.
In 2014,
Fischer joined listed U.S. automotive supplier BorgWarner where he served as
vice president and general manager of the turbocharger division for Europe and
South America. In 2018, he became president and general manager of the group’s
global Transmissions Systems business unit headquarted in Detroit, USA.
Based in
Livonia, Detroit (USA), Dr. Martin Fischer will succeed Dr. Franz Kleiner on
the ZF Board of Management from January 1, 2020, and will take over his
responsibilities for Electronics and ADAS as well as Active and Passive Safety
Systems, the North and South America regions, as well as Corporate Quality. “As
a Member of the Board of Management for ZF’s U.S. location, Dr. Franz Kleiner
made crucial decisions concerning the rapid integration of TRW, acquired in
2015. He therefore made a significant contribution to ZF’s corporate success,”
said Chairman of ZF’s Supervisory Board Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen. “On behalf of
the entire Supervisory Board, I would like to offer my sincere thanks and wish
him all the best for this new stage in his life.”
