ZF Friedrichshafen AG, which is one of the companies that make parts for cars in Germany has made some big changes to the people, in charge. They have picked Mathias Miedreich to be the Chief Executive Officer of ZF Friedrichshafen AG. This change happened after the Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Holger Klein left ZF Friedrichshafen AG at the end of September 2025. He agreed with the Supervisory Board of ZF Friedrichshafen AG that it was time for him to go.

ZF is a company that is based in Friedrichshafen, which’s in the region of Baden-Württemberg. They make lots of parts for cars like the things that help the car move, which is called the transmission and the powertrain systems. They also make chassis technology and advanced driver assistance systems. ZF has people working for them in than 30 countries all around the world. The company ZF has, over 150,000 employees who work for ZF worldwide.

Background and Reasons for the Change

The company is making some changes at the top. Dr. Holger Klein was the CEO of the company since January 2023. Now he is leaving this job. Dr. Holger Klein and the people who oversee the company the Supervisory Board talked about it. They decided it was a good idea for him to leave early.

The company says Dr. Holger Klein leaving is a decision, which means they all agreed on it. They want to make some changes fast like the companys objectives. The company is also talking to employee representatives, about restructuring plans. Dr. Holger Klein leaving will help the company make these changes happen faster.

So Klein is leaving the company. Prof. Dr. Peter Laier is also going. He was a Board Member who took care of Commercial Vehicle Solutions and Industrial Technology for ZF. They decided it was best for him to leave the company too. The reason is that he and the company have ideas about what ZF should do, in the future. Prof. Dr. Peter Laier and the company did not agree on the direction Commercial Vehicle Solutions and Industrial Technology should take.

The Supervisory Board Chairman Dr. Rolf Breidenbach said some nice things about Klein. He liked the work Klein did. Klein was a leader and he helped ZF get back on track.

The Supervisory Board thinks that ZF needs to keep moving. They want to see some big changes happen now that Klein is not in charge. The Supervisory Board wants these changes to happen quickly with the person, in charge of ZF.

Appointment of Mathias Miedreich

Mathias Miedreich was chosen to take over from Klein. Mathias Miedreich has been on the Board of Management at ZF since January 2025. He has a lot of experience in the car industry from his jobs. Mathias Miedreich worked at companies, like Continental and he was the CEO of Umicore before he joined ZF.

The Supervisory Board said that Miedreich has a lot of knowledge about the industry he makes decisions quickly and he is very good at talking to people. These are the reasons why he got promoted. Miedreich did a job leading the Electrified Powertrain division. He helped the company make some changes in one of its most important business units. The Supervisory Board thinks that Miedreichs work on the Electrified Powertrain division was very important, for the company.

Breidenbach said that Miedreichs leadership is going to help ZF change and make sure everything goes smoothly with their plans. ZF said they will tell us more about what happens with the parts of the company that Miedreich and Laier were, in charge of but they will do that later.

Strategic Context and Future Outlook

The people in charge of ZF are changing at a time when ZF is dealing with a lot of problems in the car parts business around the world. There are issues like people not buying as many cars companies having to make electric cars and trying to cut costs. When Miedreich is in charge of ZF ZF will probably try to make things simpler get better at the things ZF’s already good, at and try to make more money from electric and digital products in the long run. ZF will focus on digital products to help ZF grow.

As the industry evolves, this executive shift underscores ZF’s intent to adapt its strategic direction and strengthen its competitive position amid disruption and transformation across the mobility ecosystem.