Bosch CEO Dr. Stefan Hartung is stepping down.
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In a statement, Bosch said Dr. Stefan Hartung is stepping down from his position as chairman of the board of management effective June 30, 2026, at his own request and in close consultation and agreement with the shareholders. His successor as of July 1, 2026 will be Dr. Christian Fischer. Dr. Markus Forschner and Dr. Markus Heyn will be appointed vice chairmen of the board of management.
As CEO of Bosch, the company said Stefan Hartung has ‘strongly driven the company’s development and consistently focused it on growth and innovation’. During ‘very challenging times and under difficult conditions’, Hartung achieved important milestones for the company’s future viability and competitiveness.
He is now going to dedicate his time to new social commitments and entrepreneurial tasks outside the Bosch Group. “The shareholders and the supervisory board regret Stefan Hartung’s decision and express their sincere gratitude to him for his outstanding achievements in the diligent management of the company during an exceptionally challenging period,” said Prof. Stefan Asenkerschbaumer, managing partner of Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG and chairman of the supervisory board of Robert Bosch GmbH.
“As chairman of the board of management, he has driven the strong development of Bosch with purpose, in line with the will of our founder. We respect Stefan Hartung’s personal decision and wish him every success in the future.”
The news comes as reports emerge that VW Group has scrapped an automated driving partnership with Bosch due to concerns over the global competitiveness of the technology being developed.
Dr. Christian Fischer
Dr. Christian Fischer (58) will succeed Stefan Hartung (60) effective July 1, 2026. As deputy chairman of the board of management and limited partner of Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, he has already played a key role in shaping the company’s strategic development in recent years. In addition to his responsibility for the Consumer Goods business sector, Fischer has also been in charge of the company’s key growth initiatives, portfolio management, and the development of the company’s senior leadership, among other tasks. Under his leadership, Bosch has expanded and sustainably strengthened its portfolio through the acquisition of the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) business from Johnson Controls and Hitachi – the largest acquisition in the company’s history. “Christian Fischer has demonstrated in recent years that he thinks strategically, acts with an entrepreneurial mindset, and leads with foresight. Working alongside Stefan Hartung, he has helped shape the company’s fundamental direction and set the course for its transformation. He will consistently drive the implementation of the strategy forward, aiming to future-proof the company amid the multiple challenges in the markets in which it operates,” said Asenkerschbaumer.
Christian Fischer, who holds a PhD in economics, began his professional career in 1996 at Bosch as a trainee. Prior to returning to the company and joining the Bosch board of management in 2018, he held various leadership roles outside the company. Among other achievements, he grew Smartrac – an RFID technology company – from a young start-up into a TecDAX-listed global market leader while serving as its CEO from 2006 to 2012.
To ensure that Bosch’s transformation continues consistently in a forward-looking manner, responsibilities within the board of management will be reorganised as part of the leadership transition. The two members of the board of management Dr. Markus Forschner and Dr. Markus Heyn will be appointed deputy chairmen of the Bosch board of management effective July 1, 2026.
