Oliver Blume was born in Braunschweig in 1968, trained as a mechanical engineer with a doctorate in vehicle technology and built his career across the Volkswagen Group, leading Porsche from 2015 before being named chief executive of the entire group in September 2022 while continuing to lead Porsche.
His tenure has been defined by an extensive restructuring program covering the Volkswagen brand's cost base, the rationalization of the software subsidiary CARIAD, a recalibration of the group's electric-vehicle roadmap and a high-profile strategic partnership with Xpeng in China. He has been at the centre of the political and labour negotiations triggered by potential factory closures in Germany.
Blume is widely regarded inside the group as a consensus-oriented manager attempting to navigate one of the most institutionally complex companies in European industry through an exceptionally difficult cyclical and structural period.