INTERNATIONAL - BMW AG is poised to name production head Oliver Zipse as its next chief executive in a leadership reset to catch up with the industry's move to self-driving and electric cars, according to people familiar with the matter.
The final decision for Zipse to replace Harald Krueger is still contingent on a vote by the supervisory board, said the people, who asked not to be named as the discussions are private.
BMW's board met yesterday in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to choose Krueger’s successor. Zipse has been the most likely candidate.
A spokesperson for BMW declined to comment, saying the company doesn't discuss supervisory board deliberations. Choosing Zipse would follow in BMW's tradition of picking leaders from the production unit.
The head of BMW’s supervisory board, Norbert Reithofer, who once served as chief executive, was also production chief before ascending to the top job. Krueger was also head of production. Apart from Zipse, development head Klaus Froehlich was also in the running.