Advisory firm ISS is recommending BMW shareholders should vote against the appointment of outgoing chief executive Norbert Reithofer as chairman of the carmaker’s supervisory board, according to a report by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper.

ISS believes that the carmaker would be going against general corporate governance practice with the appointment because there will be no cooling off period between the two roles.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Go deeper with GlobalData

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

Last year BMW said that Reithofer, who is close to 60, the retirement age for top executives at BMW, will be succeeded by production chief Harald Krueger, 49.

Shareholder and fund manager Union Investment told the newspaper it would follow ISS’s advice and vote against the proposal during the carmaker’s annual general meeting on Wednesday.

Just Auto Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Auto Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Continental has secured the Window Displays Innovation Award in the 2025 Just Auto Excellence Awards for its Window Projection solution, transforming side windows into dynamic, data-rich canvases. Discover how this compact projection technology and intelligent software are reshaping in-car UX and opening fresh revenue streams for OEMs and mobility providers.

Discover the Impact