Eberhard von Kuenheim
| Eberhard von Kuenheim | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 2, 1928 Juditten, East Prussia, Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation |
CEO, BMW (1970 - 1993) |
| Known for | being the Chairman of the Executive Board of BMW, 1970–1993 |
| Predecessor | Gerhard Wilcke |
| Successor | Bernd Pischetsrieder |
| Children | Hendrik von Kuenheim, general director of BMW Motorrad[1] |
Dr.-Ing. E.h. Eberhard von Kuenheim (born 2 October 1928) is a German industrial manager. He was Chairman of the executive board (effectively CEO) of the BMW Group, between 1970[2] and 1993.
Biography
Kuenheim was born in Juditten (Polish: Judyty) near Bartenstein, (East Prussia). His father died of a riding accident in 1935,[3][4] his mother died in a Soviet NKVD camp after World War II.[3][5]
Kuenheim fled the advancing Red Army in early 1945 and was evacuated via Pillau to Western Germany in March 1945 throughout the Operation Hannibal.[3]
He studied mechanical engineering until 1954 at the Technical University of Stuttgart[6] and joined the Quandt Group, BMW's largest shareholder since 1959, in 1965.[3]
On 1 January 1970, Kuenheim became the CEO of the BMW Group. When Kuenheim became CEO, BMW had 23,000 employees; when he left the post in 1993, the number had risen to 71,000.[7] Kuenheim "transformed BMW from a small, unfocused manufacturer of cars and motorcycles into a world performance luxury icon".[8]
After Bernd Pischetsrieder followed him as CEO, Kuenheim guided BMW's supervisory board until 1999. Today Kuenheim is the head of BMW's Eberhard-von-Kuenheim-Foundation. He is also an Honorary Senator of the Technical University of Munich, which named a building at the mechanical engineering faculty after him.
References
- ↑ Booth, David (May 1, 2010). "Motorrad boss a true biker". The National. Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Media. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013.
Before his father, Eberhard von Kuenheim, became CEO in 1970, BMW was an odd little manufacturer best known for eccentric motorcycles and quirky bubble cars.
- ↑ "E. von Kuenheim (BMW) "Growth through flexibility". An exclusive interview with Edouard Seidler". Autocar. Vol. 145 (nbr 4172). 23 October 1976. pp. 114–115.
- 1 2 3 4 Bernd Ziesemer (2006). Pioniere der deutschen Wirtschaft (in German). ISBN 978-3-593-38121-3. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
- ↑ wirtschaftswoche.de
- ↑ handelsblatt.com
- ↑ handwerkermarkt.de
- ↑ autonews.com
- ↑ automotivehalloffame.org
External links
- Eberhard von Kuenheim in the German National Library catalogue
- www.kuenheim-stiftung.de
