Daimler has expanded its board of management to six members by appointing Wolfgang Bernhard to a newly created position heading Mercedes-Benz cars production and procurement as well as the Mercedes-Benz vans division he has run since early last year.
Berhnard’s appointment was effective immediately and is until the end of February 2013.
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Daimler’s supervisory board also extended the contract of management board chairman Dieter Zetsche, who also heads Mercedes-Benz Cars, to 31 December, 2013.
The contract of Thomas Weber, the management board member who heads group research and Mercedes-Benz cars development, was also extended until the end of 2013.
Bernhard became head of Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz vans division in April 2009. A successor for his current post will be named soon, the automaker said.
Bernhard has a long history in the auto industry, primarily with Daimler-Benz and Volkswagen. His resume includes production roles at Mercedes-Benz and CEO of Mercedes-AMG and, after the merger of Daimler-Benz and Chrysler, he joined Dieter Zetsche in Detroit to help run Chrysler. He was also a DaimlerChrysler board member and chief operating officer of Chrysler Group.
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By GlobalDataHe later joined the Volkswagen board, headed the VW brand group including Skoda, Bentley and Bugatti, and ultimately became VW chairman. Early in 2007, Bernhard left VW’s board and became a short-term advisor to investor Cerberus Capital Management which had bought an 81% stake in Chrysler from Daimler.
Daimler announced in February 2009 Bernhard would return to head the Mercedes-Benz vans division, reporting once again to Zetsche.
Earlier this month, Daimler said he would now also head head production and purchasing at Mercedes-Benz Cars. His ascendancy to a management board post boosted the automaker’s shares and fuelled talk he might now be Zetsche’s heir-apparent.
