ZF’s CEO Resigns

ZF Friedrichshafen AG says CEO Stefan Sommer has left the company, effective immediately.

Sommer had held the CEO position for five years. He will be replaced on an interim basis by board member Konstantin Sauer, who oversees finance, IT and merger/acquisition activities for the company. ZF expects to name a permanent CEO quickly.

Sommer’s departure follows the resignation of Giorgio Behr, who chaired ZF’s supervisory board until late November. Behr has been succeeded by Franz-Josef Paefgen, effective at year-end. German media reports said Behr quit in a power struggle with ZF’s owners over strategy.

The privately held German components and electronics supplier has been shifting its focus from conventional vehicles to electrification and self-driving technologies.