.png)
.webp)
Wilhelm Kissel led Daimler-Benz AG as Board Chairman from 1937 to 1942.
Earlier, he orchestrated the 1924 merger between Benz & Cie. and Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft, creating Daimler-Benz AG in 1926.
After his son died in combat during World War II and amid challenges over wartime production decisions, Kissel took his own life in July 1942.
Wilhelm Haspel led Mercedes-Benz from 1942 to 1952, launching key models that shaped the company's luxury focus.
His most influential decision was ordering a custom Mercedes-Benz 220 Coupé (W 187) for his wife—car that launched Mercedes' luxury coupé lineage.
Heinrich Wagner led Mercedes-Benz for nine months in 1952-1953, focusing on their commercial vehicle production.
As former head of manufacturing at Opel, Wagner modernized Mercedes' factory operations until his death in January 1953.
Fritz Koenecke led Mercedes-Benz as Board Chairman from 1953 to 1960.
His expertise in synthetic rubber production during WWII shaped his later leadership.
Under Koenecke, Mercedes-Benz's production volume grew 25% beyond its 1938 levels.
Walter Hitzinger chaired Mercedes-Benz (1961-1966), launching mid-priced cars and building a 2,000-square-meter training center.
He introduced quarterly worker bonuses tied to company profits, helping retain skilled staff during Germany's 1960s labor shortage.
Joachim Zahn led Mercedes-Benz from 1971 to 1979, leading the company through the 1973 oil crisis while expanding its operations.
He built Europe's largest truck plant in Wörth and doubled car production, achieving 6.9% annual growth when German automakers averaged 2.3%.
His financial acumen and strong leadership helped Mercedes-Benz amass substantial cash reserves.
Gerhard Prinz led Mercedes-Benz as Board Chairman from 1980 to 1983.
He pushed the company to build smaller cars, which marked a sharp departure from their luxury-focused past.
Mercedes-Benz began developing passenger cars with hybrid engines.
As Mercedes-Benz Chairman from 1983-1987, Werner Breitschwerdt drove concrete results: 60% sales growth, 80% higher profits, and 16,000 new jobs at Daimler-Benz.
His key achievement, launching the Mercedes 190 in 1982, brought the brand's quality to middle-class buyers.
He also advanced vehicle safety technology.
Edzard Reuter led Daimler-Benz from 1987 to 1995, championing transparency in company operations.
His acquisitions of struggling firms AEG and Fokker Aviation proved costly—Daimler-Benz lost $8.2 billion in 1995.
Jürgen Schrempp led Mercedes-Benz as CEO from 1995 to 2006.
In 1998, he orchestrated the merger between Daimler-Benz and Chrysler, creating DaimlerChrysler AG.
The merger failed, and in 2007 Mercedes-Benz sold Chrysler.
Dieter Zetsche led Mercedes-Benz as CEO from 2006 to 2019.
Taking control from Jürgen Schrempp, he led the company through its split from Chrysler in 2007, which created Daimler AG. Zetsche tackled declining quality and customer satisfaction by restructuring company operations.
His work earned recognition from Time magazine, which named him among 2006's most influential people.
Since 2019, Ola Källenius has led Mercedes-Benz as CEO.
He directs 40 billion euros toward electric vehicle development through 2030, with electric cars now comprising 19% of Mercedes sales.
In line with his tech-focused vision, he advocates reducing EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles to drive European innovation.
.png){kind=logo}
.webp)
.webp)
