Bernhard Maier, chairman of Czech automaker Skoda Auto, part of the Volkswagen Group, will leave his post at the end of July after almost five years, the company stated on Thursday.
Skoda, which did not provide a reason for Maier’s departure, stated a successor would be elected by the board in August.
The automobile group is the Czech Republic’s biggest exporter and a significant source for the economy, which faces a sharp decline this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Skoda sold 1.24 million cars in 2019.
The announcement of Maier’s departure confirmed a previous report in Handelsblatt.
Maier took the position of chairman in November 2015, coming from Porsche. The automaker has reported record profits and revenue since and he has overseen the massive introduction of new models under the Skoda brand, including some SUVs.
The change at Skoda comes when the company is going through a broader management restructuring at the VW Group.
Volkswagen earlier this week said that its trucks chief Andreas Renschler would retire and informed in June that CEO Herbert Diess would hand responsibility for managing the Volkswagen brand to Ralf Brandstaetter.
