Friedrichshafen, Germany, September 12, 2025 – At its special meeting today, the Supervisory Board of ZF Friedrichshafen AG decided to terminate the existing contractual relationship with the current CEO, Dr. Holger Klein, by mutual amicable agreement. He will leave the Board of Management on September 30, 2025. Mathias Miedreich, who has been a member of the Board of Management since January 2025 and heads the Electrified Powertrain Technology division, has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Board of Management. At the same time, the Supervisory Board and Board Member Prof. Dr. Peter Laier have mutually agreed today to terminate his position as a member of the Board of Management.
Supervisory Board Chairman Dr. Rolf Breidenbach expressed his gratitude to the CEO: “I would like to thank Dr. Holger Klein for his tireless commitment to ZF for over more than ten years, but especially for the last nearly three years as CEO. With his strategy, he laid the foundations for ZF’s turnaround and has already achieved significant success with the entire team. We must now build on what’s been achieved and continue with the strategy we’ve embarked upon.” Looking ahead, he continued: “In Mathias Miedreich we’ve found an internal successor who not only has in-depth experience in the industry – including in a CEO position – but with a combination of decisiveness and communication skills, who has also significantly advanced the restructuring of Division E since joining the ZF Board of Management. We wish him every success in his new role.”
Simon Blümcke, Mayor of Friedrichshafen and Chairman of the Zeppelin Foundation, said: “On behalf of the owner representatives, I would like to thank Dr. Holger Klein for his commitment and close cooperation with the Supervisory Board. In challenging times, he stabilized ZF economically, steered it onto a new course, and laid the foundation for a successful future.”
Dr. Holger Klein, who held various management positions at ZF since 2014 before taking over as CEO of ZF on January 1, 2023, said: “Together with the Executive Board team and all ZF employees, we’ve already made great progress in turning ZF around. Our ‘Strengthening our Strengths’ strategy is showing initial success, the performance programs are working, profitability and cash flow are rising again, and, together with the Supervisory Board, we’ve decided on important courses of action for restructuring and for the future. I’m deeply convinced that we are on the right track to making ZF successful again as well as securing jobs. Now it’s critical that we quickly make implementation decisions together with the employee representatives, because ZF can’t afford to waste any more time. That’s why I believe that now is the right time to hand over the chairmanship of the Board of Management.” Prof. Dr. Peter Laier is leaving the Board of Management of ZF Friedrichshafen AG
Prof. Dr. Peter Laier and the Supervisory Board of ZF Friedrichshafen AG have mutually agreed today to terminate Laier’s position as a member of the Board of Management as of September 30, 2025. Due to differing views on the future strategic direction of the company, the Supervisory Board and Prof. Dr. Laier have agreed that Laier will step down from his position as a member of the Board of Management in agreement with the Supervisory Board.
The Supervisory Board and the shareholders of the company deeply regret his departure and express their appreciation for his outstanding collaboration.
Prof. Dr. Laier has been a member of the Board of Management of ZF Friedrichshafen AG since January 2023 and was responsible for the Commercial Vehicle Solutions and Industrial Technology divisions as well as the areas of Production and Materials Management and the India region.
“In recent years, we’ve been able to significantly enhance and internationalize the Commercial Vehicles Solutions and Industrial Technology divisions and greatly intensify global customer relationships. The divisions I am responsible for, as well as the Materials Management and Production departments and the India region, are very well positioned for the future,” says Prof. Dr. Laier.
Simon Blümcke, Chairman of the Zeppelin Foundation and Mayor of the City of Friedrichshafen, and Dr. Rolf Breidenbach, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ZF Friedrichshafen AG, would like to express their sincere thanks to Prof. Dr. Laier for his outstanding work with the company and his significant contributions to the realignment of the ZF Group. They wish him all the best for the future.
ZF will provide information on the succession of the Board positions for the Electrified Powertrain Technology division and for the Commercial Vehicle Solutions and Industrial Technology divisions in due course.