Michael Leiters: New Porsche CEO and his challenges

Successor for Blume Michael Leiters is the New Porsche CEO

2025-10-20 Source: dpa 2 min Reading Time

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The previous Porsche CEO, Oliver Blume, reportedly wants to focus solely on parent company Volkswagen. Former McLaren CEO Michael Leiters takes the reins.

Michael Leiters is the new one who will take the wheel at Porsche after Oliver Blume ...(Image: dpa) — Michael Leiters is the new one who will take the wheel at Porsche after Oliver Blume ...
(Image: dpa)

The top executive Oliver Blume is stepping down as CEO of the sports car manufacturer Porsche. His successor, as now announced, will be former McLaren CEO Michael Leiters. The 54-year-old will begin his work on January 1, 2026. Porsche supervisory board chairman Wolfgang Porsche emphasized Leiters' decades of experience in the automotive industry. Leiters himself spoke of a fantastic company with truly iconic sports cars. Familiar with Porsche, Leiters looks forward to the new role but will also need to act as a crisis manager.

After McLaren, Porsche Comes Under His Wing

He spent 13 years at Porsche, joining the Swabian company during the era of Wendelin Wiedeking, under whom he served as an assistant. Some even saw him as Wiedeking's "fixer." The owner families Porsche and Piëch are said to know the PhD engineer well, which is why Leiters enjoys their trust. Leiters steadily worked his way up at the sports car manufacturer Porsche. The current Blume successor left the company during the tenure of Matthias Müller at the helm of the Swabians. He then became Chief Technology Officer at Ferrari before moving to McLaren. Leiters is considered an analytical and strategically minded manager who is a fan of lightweight construction. He played a role in the development of the Porsche Cayenne and Macan models.

There are plenty of tasks awaiting Leiters at Porsche, it is said. The once highly successful sports car manufacturer has become a company in crisis mode. Sales—especially in China—have recently fallen short of expectations. The business is also currently being impacted by U.S. import tariffs. Due to the sluggish transition to e-mobility, Porsche had to change its e-strategy, meaning a renewed focus on combustion and hybrid drives. However, this shift will cost billions. Porsche's profits have plummeted as a result. The group's net profit from January to June was 718 million euros (~$837.5 Million), which is 71 percent less than a year earlier. This is why Porsche plans to cut around 1,900 jobs in the Stuttgart region (Germany). Another cost-saving program will be negotiated in the coming weeks. According to information obtained by the dpa, in addition to further job cuts, job security is also expected to be discussed.

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Date: 08.12.2025

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