Mercedes to get first non-German boss in 2019

Daimler AG, owner of the Mercedes-Benz brand has announced that 49-year old Swede Ola Kaellenius will replace Dieter Zetsche as the Chairman of the Board of Management at Daimler and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

As part of the plan, Zetsche, 65, will step down as the chief executive in May 2019. Zetsche is expected to replace Dr. Manfred Bischoff as the Chairman of the Supervisory Board in 2021 after a 2-year cooling period.

Zetsche had been originally appointed till December 2019. However, with new challenges in automotive technologies, including development of electric and hybrid vehicles, he will be stepping down from his post 6 months earlier. Daimler is also being scrutinised by the U.S. Justice Department and German authorities for violating diesel emission norms.

Kaellenius was born in Vastervik, Sweden and attended the Grammar School of Danderyd (Sweden). He attained a Master’s degree in International Management and Finance and Accounting at the Stockholm School of Economics (Sweden) and at the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland) before joining Mercedes-Benz in 1993. Since 2015 he is serving as the Member of the Board of Management, Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing & Sales, Daimler AG.