BMW AG’s Supervisory Board has appointed Dr.-Ing. Milan Nedeljković, currently the member of the Board of Management responsible for Production, as the company’s new Chairman of the Board of Management (CEO). Nedeljković, 56, is set to assume the role on May 14, 2026, following the company’s Annual General Meeting, with his contract extending through 2031.
He will succeed Oliver Zipse, 61, who will step down as planned on May 13, 2026, concluding his 35-year tenure with the BMW Group, which includes over six years as CEO. Zipse’s contract had been extended beyond the company’s usual retirement age in 2023.
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Dr. Nicolas Peter, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of BMW AG, praised the incoming executive’s qualifications for leading the company through the ongoing industry transformation.
“Milan Nedeljković convinces with his strategic foresight, strong implementation skills, and entrepreneurial thinking. He stands for very focused management of resources—whether financial or ecological,” said Peter. “Milan Nedeljković inspires people with ideas, unites them behind shared values, and thereby motivates them to realize peak performance. This is a crucial leadership quality to maintain the BMW Group’s successful course in this time of transformation.”
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The Supervisory Board also extended its gratitude to the outgoing CEO, Oliver Zipse. Peter added that Zipse “has led BMW through global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and represents the Neue Klasse as the largest strategic project in the company’s history.”
Nedeljković, who joined BMW as a trainee in 1993, has held various senior international positions, including Managing Director of Plant Leipzig and Senior Vice President Corporate Quality, before joining the Board of Management in 2019. His experience overseeing production lines capable of manufacturing both electric and combustion engine models is seen as crucial for the company’s flexible transition strategy.
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Dr. Martin Kimmich, Chairman of the Global Works Council and deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board, expressed confidence in the appointment, stating: “Milan Nedeljković is held in high regard by and enjoys the trust of BMW’s workforce. Together with him, we look forward to continuing the long tradition of cooperative collaboration…”
