Porsche CEO: "The most exciting role in the automotive industry"

Management Porsche CEO: "The Most Exciting Role in the Automotive Industry"

2026-01-07 Source: dpa 1 min Reading Time

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Michel Leiters starts the new year as Porsche CEO with enthusiasm. However, an unpleasant topic awaits in the first quarter.

Michael Leiters has been CEO of Porsche AG since January 2026.(Image: McLaren) — Michael Leiters has been CEO of Porsche AG since January 2026.
(Image: McLaren)

The new Porsche CEO Michael Leiters has commented on his start at the sports car manufacturer on the social network LinkedIn. The new year begins with a special milestone, Leiters wrote. He is taking on what he considers the most exciting role in the entire automotive industry. Leiters has been Porsche CEO since the beginning of the year, succeeding Oliver Blume, who is now VW CEO.

Porsche has had a turbulent year. In addition to declining sales, the strategic shift towards more combustion engine models is weighing on the company. This shift costs billions and has so far almost completely eaten up the group's profits. For this reason, discussions about another round of cost-cutting are currently underway. The former Porsche CEO Blume recently suggested that it could be completed in the first quarter.

Nearly 2,000 Jobs Are to Be Cut in Stuttgart (Germany)

It was only last February that the VW subsidiary and employee representatives agreed on an initial savings package. By the year 2029, 1,900 jobs are to be cut in the Stuttgart region (Germany)—socially acceptable due to job security. Additionally, the contracts of around 2,000 temporary employees will expire.

About Michael Leiters

Michael Leiters previously worked at Porsche for 13 years and joined the automaker during the era of Wendelin Wiedeking. He was his assistant and was also considered a problem solver by some. The Porsche and Piëch owning families know the mechanical engineering PhD well. Leiters studied at the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, Germany.

People who know him describe him as an analytical and strategic manager. The name of the father of two is primarily associated with the Cayenne and also with the Macan at Porsche. The Blume successor left the sports car manufacturer during the time when Matthias Müller was at the helm of the company. He then became Chief Technology Officer at Ferrari and later moved to McLaren.

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