Thomas Schafer appointed Chairman of the Board at Skoda Auto

Thomas Schafer has been appointed as Chairman of the Board at Skoda Auto with immediate effect. He replaces Bernhard Maier, who stepped down from the post at the end of last month.

Schafer is a mechanical engineer and began his career in the automotive industry with Daimler AG in 1991. He held various management positions in the areas of production and quality management in Germany, USA and South Africa. He was a founding member of Daimler Chrysler Malaysia as Board Member for Technology.

Between 2005-2012, Schafer handled vehicle deliveries, customer centres and the global xKD business in emerging markets for Daimler AG. He was also responsible for setting up new plants, planning and strategy and international logistics for all foreign plants.

Schafer moved to Volkswagen AG in May 2012. Since 2015, he has headed Volkswagen Group South Africa as Chairman and Managing Director.