Mathias Miedreich is the Chief Executive Officer of ZF Friedrichshafen AG. This company is one of the most important automotive technology suppliers in Germany. Mathias Miedreich became the Chief Executive Officer on 1 October 2025. He took this role after the company made some changes to its leadership. These changes were made to help ZF Friedrichshafen AG deal with some challenges, in the industry and to reorganize the company from the inside.
Early Career and Background
Miedreich was born on 6 May 1975 in Saarbrücken, Germany. He finished his studies in business management at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg. After that Miedreich started working in the technology sectors.
Miedreich had jobs at Siemens VDO Automotive and Continental. At these companies Miedreich was in charge of products.
Before Miedreich joined ZF he was the CEO of Umicore. Umicore is a company that works with materials technology all, around the world. Miedreich showed that he can lead companies in industrial environments.
Rise to ZF’s Top Position
Miedreich became a part of ZFs Board of Management in January 2025. He was in charge of the Electrified Powertrain Technology division at ZF. This division is very important for ZF because it works on making hybrid propulsion systems better.
By September 2025 the people on ZFs Supervisory Board decided that Dr. Holger Klein should not be the CEO anymore. They all agreed on this. Then the board chose Miedreich to be the Chairman of the Board of Management. He started this job on 1 October 2025. The board picked Miedreich because he knows a lot about the industry and he is a leader, at ZF.
Miedreich is the CEO. He is in charge of the companys overall plan. This plan includes things like making the company better selling things managing programs making sure everything runs smoothly buying things the company needs and watching over the Asia-Pacific region. Miedreich is also responsible, for important parts of the company.
Leadership Amid Restructuring and Market Challenges
ZF Friedrichshafen is a company that’s in a sector that is changing a lot. This sector is going through things like moving to electrification and changes in the supply chain. There are also changes in how much people want to buy things around the world. Miedreich has been in charge of ZF Friedrichshafen, for a while now. During his time he has been trying to make ZF Friedrichshafens products and services better fit what the company does. He has also been trying to make the company work efficiently. To do this ZF Friedrichshafen has made some changes. For example the company has changed the way it is organized. It has changed what products and services it sells.
In 2025 ZF said they would sell their Advanced Driver Assistance Systems business to Harman International for €1.5 billion. This was a decision that Miedreich thought was very important for ZF. He wanted ZF to focus on what they’re really good at like making chassis systems, transmissions and commercial vehicle solutions.
Miedreich said that selling the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems business would help ZF come up with ideas and make their money situation better. He thinks this is a way for ZF to change and make sure they are around, for a long time. ZF needs to keep doing what they do best like making chassis systems, transmissions and commercial vehicle solutions and this deal will help them do that.
Vision and Industry Position
Miedreich is now in charge of ZF Friedrichshafen. This is part of a change in the automotive industry. Many companies that supply car parts are trying to adjust to a world. In this world electric cars, self-driving cars and competition from over the globe are very important.
ZF Friedrichshafen has been around since 1915. The company is known for making good transmissions, chassis components and safety technologies. Now that Miedreich is, in charge of ZF Friedrichshafen the company wants to use the technology and be able to change quickly to succeed in the future of mobility. ZF Friedrichshafen wants Miedreich to help the company do well in this world.
Mathias Miedreich’s leadership at ZF Friedrichshafen AG underscores a pivotal phase for the company. By steering strategic realignment, focusing on core competencies, and responding to industry disruption, he continues to position ZF for long-term stability and relevance in a highly competitive global automotive landscape.
