The German provider Mahle has shaken up its administration workforce, naming Arnd Franz, at present head of parts-maker LKQ Europe, as CEO and selling Markus Kapaun to CFO from head of finance and accounting Europe, the corporate stated Monday.

Franz’s place was most lately held by Matthias Arleth, who was appointed CEO in October 2021 however left the corporate in April of this yr. His appointment is one thing of a homecoming: Franz had labored at Mahle for 18 years earlier than leaving to run LKQ Europe in 2019. 

Kapaun succeeds Michael Frick, who on Monday was introduced as CFO of ZF Friedrichshafen, changing Konstantin Sauer. He begins in his new function Dec. 1.

The transition to electrification at Mahle, recognized for making internal-combustion engine elements corresponding to pistons, has led to friction between administration and unions.

With the appointment of Franz, who begins Nov. 1, Mahle can have had three CEOs in lower than two years, with intervals of a number of months by which an interim chief govt led the corporate. 

Joerg Stratmann, who took the place in 2018, resigned on March 31, 2021, underneath strain from unions after asserting restructuring plans in 2020 that included reducing 7,600 jobs, together with 2,000 in Germany.

Stratmann was changed by Arleth, an govt at sunroof-maker Webasto, who began on Jan. 1 of this yr. However he left after simply 4 months “by mutual settlement,” the corporate stated. His place was quickly crammed by Frick beginning in Could.

Franz, a local of Stuttgart who holds a level in enterprise administration, began his profession in 1992 with Deutsche Industrie-Holding, and labored at different firms together with TEV, Erlensee and Magna Seating Techniques. He joined Mahle in 2001 as managing director of Mahle Tennex North America. He joined the administration committee in 2006, liable for aftermarket, and the administration board in 2013, liable for gross sales and engineering functions and aftermarket.

Kapaun, additionally a local of Stuttgart, joined Mahle as a trainee in 2003. His administration posts included head of controlling at Mahle South America; vice chairman finance, accounting, IT and authorized affairs North America in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Kapaun was named to his present put up in 2020.

At ZF, Frick will exchange Sauer, who has been CFO since 2010. Sauer’s tenure included ZF’s $12.4 billion takeover of U.S. provider TRW, which led to the ouster of CEO Stefan Sommer in 2017. 

Sauer was appointed interim CEO till Wolf-Henning Scheider was named to exchange Sommer. Sauer joined ZF in 1990 and held a lot of high administration positions, together with president of the South America area beginning in 2000. He additionally oversaw monetary particulars of ZF’s acquisition of Webasto in 2019.

Frick holds a level in enterprise administration diploma from the College of Bamberg, Germany. He joined Mahle in 2003 as head of company controlling. Frick held administration roles in China and the UK, earlier than being appointed business director of Mahle-Behr in 2011. He has been a member of the Mahle board of administration liable for finance since 2014. 

ZF ranks No. 3 in Automotive Information Europe’s listing of the highest 100 world suppliers, with gross sales to automakers of $39.3 billion in 2021, and Mahle ranks nineteenth, with gross sales of $12.9 billion.