BMW Names New Production Chief

BMW AG has appointed Oliver Zipse as its top production executive, effective May 13. He will succeed Harald Kruger, who will become chairman of the company's management board.

The 51-year-old Zipse began at BMW as a development and production trainee in 1991. Currently he is senior vice president of corporate planning and product strategy for BMW Group.

Zipse studied computer science and mathematics at the University of Utah and earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Technical University Darmstadt in 1991. At BMW, he managed a factory in the U.K. and was senior vice president of technical planning before stepping into his current assignment three years ago.