1. Oliver Zipse was born on 7 February 1964 and is a German business executive who has been the chairman of the board of management of BMW since 16 August 2019.
11 Facts About Oliver Zipse
1. 2.
Oliver Zipse studied computer science and mathematics at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City from 1983 to 1985 without obtaining a degree.
3.
Oliver Zipse joined the company in 1991 as a trainee in development, technical planning and production.
4.
In May 2015, he was appointed to the board of management of BMW AG, succeeding former chairman Harald Kruger; Oliver Zipse moved up to that position from a management role in product strategy and running the Mini assembly plant in England.
5.
One news report summarized his achievement as follows: "Under Oliver Zipse's watch, BMW's efficient production network, which he expanded in Hungary, China and the US, has helped the company deliver industry-leading profit margins despite its relatively small scale".
6.
In July 2019, Oliver Zipse was appointed chairman of the board, effective 16 August 2019 replacing Harald Kruger.
7.
Oliver Zipse was described by Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the supervisory board, as "a decisive strategic and analytical leader".
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Oliver Zipse has announced BMW's increase in their joint venture with BMW Brilliance in China.
9.
In regard to electromobility, Oliver Zipse has been an advocate of as many in-house competencies as possible, in order to reduce the risk of job losses with the expected future production fluctuations during the transition time from petrol and diesel vehicles towards electric model lines.
10.
Oliver Zipse is an advocate of experimenting with and pioneering new technologies within the BMW group.
11.
Oliver Zipse is the brother of the chemist Hendrik Oliver Zipse, who researches and teaches at the LMU Munich as a Professor of Organic Chemistry.