Volkswagen relinquishes the position of its human resources leader, Gunnar Kilian, in a management shift.
Volkswagen has announced the departure of Gunnar Kilian, its former Chief Human Resources Officer (HR Director), effective immediately as of July 2025. This move comes at a critical juncture for the company, following a recently agreed restructuring program with employee representatives aimed at reducing nearly a quarter of its German workforce by 2030 through early retirement and voluntary severance packages, without compulsory redundancies.
The reasons behind Kilian's separation stem from a loss of trust from both employee and employer sides. The Volkswagen Supervisory Board decided unanimously to end his tenure just months before his contract was due to expire. From the employees' perspective, Kilian no longer had the support necessary to secure a contract extension. The works council cited "fundamental differences on key issues facing the group" and noted that Kilian's name had been closely associated with the termination of the collective wage agreement the previous year, an event the works council characterized as a "historic breach of taboo."
Daniela Cavallo, the chair of the works council, commented that recent months had made it difficult to maintain a shared outlook for the company's future leadership in labor relations. The works council emphasized the importance of transformation and renewal in the new HR chief, aligning with Volkswagen’s broader restructuring and future vision goals.
In the interim, Thomas Schäfer, Volkswagen brand CEO, will take over the leadership of the personnel department and the function of labor director. Arne Meiswinkel is expected to handle the operational tasks in the personnel department. The works council has evaluated this arrangement as stable.
The search for a permanent successor to the Volkswagen personnel director position has begun. Traditionally, the position of Chief Labor Relations Officer is crucial as a bridge between management and employees with a strong mediating function. The works council continues to emphasize that co-determination plays a major role in this process.
Lower Saxony's Minister President Olaf Lies expressed regret over the end of Kilian's term, praising him as a "wise and highly respected strategist." Lies particularly praised Kilian's contribution to resolving the wage disputes of the past winter.
As this personnel change marks a significant shift at Volkswagen’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, it remains to be seen how the personnel renewal will affect the further course of the company during the works holiday at Volkswagen's corporate headquarters in Wolfsburg.
| Aspect | Details | |--------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | **Reason for Separation** | Loss of trust from employees and management; fundamental differences on key issues; association with breaking wage agreements | | **Context** | Challenging restructuring phase involving workforce reduction plans and transformation | | **Works Council’s View** | Differences made shared future outlook difficult; stresses importance of transformation and renewal in new HR chief | | **Succession Progress** | Interim stable; search ongoing for a new HR chief who represents transformation |
The search for a new Chief Human Resources Officer (HR Director) at Volkswagen aligns with the company's broader restructuring and future vision goals, as the works council emphasizes the importance of transformation and renewal in the new HR chief. Despite Gunnar Kilian's previous role as a wise strategist, his loss of trust from both employees and management, and his association with breaking wage agreements, led to his separation.
