Franz-Josef Paefgen

Franz-Josef Paefgen (born May 10, 1946 in Büttgen / Kaarst ) is a German manager . He was a board member of Audi (1995–2002), CEO of Bentley (2002–2011) and President of Bugatti Automobiles (2007–2011). He has been Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ZF Friedrichshafen since December 4, 2017 .

Life

From 1967 Paefgen studied mechanical engineering and economics at the University of Karlsruhe "Fridericiana" in Karlsruhe and the RWTH in Aachen . In 1976 he was at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of RWTH with the work computer Based Planning a demand bus system for Dr.-Ing. PhD . He started his career in 1976 at Fordwerke Köln AG, initially as a graduate trainee. Activities in engine development and quality assurance followed.

In 1980 Paefgen came to Audi in Neckarsulm , where he was responsible for interior fittings and electronics. In 1987 he moved to Audi in Ingolstadt , where he initially headed the development of equipment and air conditioning. In 1991 Paefgen took over the management of product planning and project management, and in February 1994 he was appointed acting head of technical development.

From March 1995 to April 1997 Paefgen was a member of the Board of Management of Audi AG for the Technical Development division. On January 1, 1997, he took over the position of Deputy Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG, succeeding Herbert Demel . From July 1997 on, Paefgen was spokesman for the Audi board of management. From March 1998 to February 2002 he was Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG and from November 1998 to February 2002 he was also President of Automobili Lamborghini SpA.

On March 1, 2002, he became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bentley Motors Ltd. Paefgen also worked in the VW Group as a general representative for motorsport and research. From 2003 to 2005, as Managing Director of Bugatti Engineering, he was responsible for the development of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 , and since March 2007 he has also been President of Bugatti Automobiles SAS in Molsheim and Bugatti International SA in Luxembourg . With effect from February 1, 2011, Franz-Josef Paefgen retired. His successor as CEO of Bentley Motors and President of Bugatti Automobiles SAS was Wolfgang Dürheimer .

In 2006, Paefgen was awarded the Spirit of Le Mans by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest for his commitment to racing in Le Mans .

Paefgen has been a member of the University Council of the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt for many years .

On December 4, 2017, Paefgen was elected Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ZF AG , replacing Giorgio Behr .

literature

• Franz-Josef Paefgen , in: Internationales Biographisches Archiv 30/2008 of July 22, 2008, in the Munzinger archive ( beginning of the article freely available)

Web links

• Die Welt: "Bentley boss Paefgen and his policy of scarcity" , April 23, 2005
• Die Welt: "Brands are stronger than countries" , February 27, 2005
• "Benchmark Standards" (.pdf) (280 kB)

Individual evidence

1. ^ "Paefgen new president" , Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung FAZ
2. ↑ "Dr.-Ing. Paefgen new President of Bugatti ” ( Memento of the original dated November 16, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Bugatti News March 13, 2007 
3. ↑ "Honoring Bentley in Le Mans" ( Memento of the original from April 15, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Press portal June 17, 2006  
4. ↑ "University Council" ( Memento of the original from October 20, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt