Stefan Sommer (born January 7, 1963, in Münster,

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

) is a German engineer who was the chief executive officer of

ZF Friedrichshafen AG ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, originally ''Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen'', and commonly abbreviated to ZF (ZF = "Zahnradfabrik" = "Cogwheel Factory"), is a German car parts maker headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in the south- ...

, also known a
ZF Group
from 2012 until 2017.

Early life and education

Sommer studied

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...

Ruhr University Bochum The Ruhr University Bochum (, ) is a public research university located in the southern hills of the central Ruhr area, Bochum, Germany. It was founded in 1962 as the first new public university in Germany after World War II. Instruction began in ...

, specialising in automation. There he earned an engineering doctorate while holding a professorship in automatic control engineering.

Career

Sommer began his professional career in 1994 as a development

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

at ITT Automotive Group Europe GmbH in Frankfurt am Main. In 1997, he moved to

Continental Automotive Systems Continental Automotive Systems (CAS), founded in 1906 by Alfred Teves, a division of the German Continental AG, was a brake and electronics supplier to the automotive industry, supplying systems, components, electronics, lithium-ion batteries and ...

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

, beginning as director of electronics & sensor development. After occupying several positions at Continental, the last of which being senior vice-president of EBS Customer Center, Sommer moved to what was then named ZF Sachs AG in Schweinfurt in 2008, whereupon he joined its board of directors in charge of chassis operations. In the summer of 2010, the supervisory board of ZF Sach’s parent company,

ZF Friedrichshafen ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, originally ''Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen'', and commonly abbreviated to ZF (ZF = "Zahnradfabrik" = "Cogwheel Factory"), is a German car parts maker headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in the south- ...

AG, appointed Sommer to its executive board in Friedrichshafen, where he assumed responsibility for materials management. From 1 January 2012, Sommer also served as deputy chief executive officer of ZF Group, before becoming Hans-Georg Härter’s successor as chief executive officer of ZF Friedrichshafen AG. On 7 December 2017 Sommer quit the CEO position of ZF. Since 2019, Sommer has been a member of the board member of

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

, with responsibility for procurement.

Other activities

Knorr-Bremse Knorr-Bremse AG is a German manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles that has operated in the field for over 110 years. Other products in Group's portfolio include intelligent door systems, control components, air con ...

, Member of the Supervisory Board (since 2021)Martin-W. Buchenau (March 31, 2021)
Ex-ZF-Chef Sommer wird Aufsichtsrat beim Konkurrenten Knorr-Bremse
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Handelsblatt The ''Handelsblatt'' (literally "commerce paper" in English) is a German-language business newspaper published in Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Du ...

''.

References

ZF Board of Management profile - Dr Stefan Sommer

Press Profile - Dr Stefan Sommer

External links

*http://www.oemoffhighway.com/press_release/10709849/zf-reports-its-2011-results *http://www.4wheelsnews.com/stefan-sommer-is-the-new-ceo-of-zf-friedrichshafen/ * http://www.datamonitor.com/store/News/zf_names_new_ceo?productid=D560B3DA-8B34-4057-AE58-3298674C682D {{DEFAULTSORT:Sommer, Stefan 1963 births Living people