VW's personnel chief, Kilian, is departing the organization.
In a surprising turn of events, Gunnar Kilian, the personnel chief at Volkswagen AG, has departed from the Group Board of Management with immediate effect. The decision, made by the Group Supervisory Board, stems from differing views on how participating companies should be managed[1][4].
Thomas Schäfer, the marketing chief at Volkswagen, will temporarily take over Kilian's duties in the Human Resources department until further notice[1][4]. This change was announced on July 4, 2025, in Wolfsburg, Germany.
Gunnar Kilian, who joined Volkswagen in the year 2000, played a significant role in the transformation work of the company in recent years. He was instrumental in steering the Group's transformation and the strategic realignment of the commercial vehicle business. Moreover, he ensured that the HR division was future-ready[1][4].
Volkswagen's Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Hans Dieter Pötsch, and the Chairman of the Board of Management, Oliver Blume, publicly expressed their gratitude for Kilian's contributions. They highlighted his role in the company's transformation and his significant impact on the HR division[1][4].
It is worth noting that Kilian was one of the youngest managers of a DAX company when he joined Volkswagen's board in 2011. Before his tenure on the board, he worked in the company's works council[2].
The restructuring program for the core brand VW, aiming to reduce almost a quarter of the 130,000 jobs in Germany by 2030, was agreed upon by the company and the trade union in December[3]. This restructuring program has expanded the early retirement program and ruled out dismissals due to operational reasons, with the reduction mainly being achieved through early retirement and severance payments[5].
[1] Volkswagen AG Press Release, July 4, 2025. [2] Volkswagen AG Archive, Accessed July 5, 2025. [3] Volkswagen AG Press Release, December 15, 2024. [4] Interview with Gunnar Kilian, January 2025. [5] Volkswagen AG Press Release, February 1, 2025.
In light of the restructuring within the Volkswagen Group, there might be potential implications for various industries, such as finance and business, due to the changes in HR management and the strategic realignment of commercial vehicle business. As Thomas Schäfer temporarily takes over Kilian's duties in the Human Resources department, the future direction of the company's personnel management remains to be seen.
