Change in the Executive Board of Porsche Engineering

Schäfer will retire effective 31 May 2023. In addition, Dirk Philipp (53) is appointed to the Executive Board of Porsche Engineering effective 1 January 2023. He takes over the position of Managing Director of Commerce/Chief Operating Officer (CFO/COO). Dirk Lappe (59) remains Managing Director of Technology (CTO). He has held this position since 2009.

After a 20-year career at Porsche, Peter Schäfer, CEO of Porsche Engineering, is retiring. Schäfer played a key role in shaping the strategic direction and successful growth of the international technology service provider. His successor will be Markus-Christian Eberl. “I am very pleased that we have been able to bring in Markus-Christian Eberl as the new Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche Engineering,” says Michael Steiner, Member of the Executive Board for Research and Development at Porsche AG and Chairman of the Shareholder’s Committee of Porsche Engineering. “He has proven technical expertise, is excellently networked, and knows modern development processes inside out. He therefore has the ideal qualifications for this challenging task.”

Markus-Christian Eberl has been with Porsche for 23 years. Currently he holds the position of Vice President Technical Conformity in the R&D department. Prior to that, he held various positions in Internal Auditing and Engine Development departments—since 2014 in management positions. Before joining Porsche in 2000, Eberl gained experience in the field of engineering services with a focus on software development. “Porsche Engineering combines comprehensive vehicle know-how with digital and software expertise. I am convinced that Markus-Christian Eberl will provide important impulses for the targeted development of Porsche Engineering at this crucial interface,” says Steiner.

Peter Schäfer will leave Porsche Engineering on 31 May 2023 and head into retirement. “We owe Peter Schäfer a great debt of gratitude,” emphasizes Steiner. “He has made a significant contribution to the company’s success story—with a clear strategic focus and a consistent international orientation. In doing so, he always placed particular emphasis on corporate culture.”

Under Schäfer’s leadership, the company’s positioning as a technology partner for the development of intelligent and connected vehicles was driven forward. During this time, new tech locations were opened in Timișoara and Beijing. The number of employees of the group was increased from 1,200 in 2019 to 1,700 today.

With effect from 1 January 2023, another new member of the Executive Board of Porsche Engineering will be Dirk Philipp as Managing Director of Commerce/Chief Operating Officer (CFO/COO). Since 2011, Philipp has been Director of Finance and Administration at Porsche Engineering and has held various positions in the Porsche Group since 1995, including as Director of Finance Controlling of Development at Porsche. “Dirk Philipp has played a key role in shaping the internationalization of the company in recent years,” says Steiner. “The integration of the Nardò Technical Center and the establishment of new locations in Romania, the Czech Republic, and China have contributed to a large extent to the positioning of Porsche Engineering as an innovative technology partner to the international automotive industry.”

Dirk Philipp thus completes the future Executive Board around Markus-Christian Eberl and Dirk Lappe, who is Managing Director of Technology (CTO) since 2009 and drives forward the strategic development of the technological competencies of Porsche Engineering.

Porsche Engineering Group GmbH is an international technology partner to the automotive industry with locations in Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Romania, and China. The subsidiary of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG is developing the intelligent and connected vehicle of the future for its customers—including functions and software. Some 1,700 engineers and software developers are dedicated to the latest technologies, for example in the fields of highly automated driving functions, e-mobility and high-voltage systems, connectivity, and artificial intelligence. Their aim is to carry the tradition of Ferdinand Porsche’s design office, founded in 1931, into the future and develop the digital vehicle technologies of tomorrow. In doing so, they combine in-depth vehicle expertise with digital and software expertise.