Ex-VW CEO Diess will head Infineon board

BERLIN -- Former Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess is in line to become supervisory board chairman at semiconductor group Infineon.

Diess, 64, was replaced as VW Group CEO by Porsche boss Oliver Blume on Sept. 1. During his four-year stint leading the automaker, Diess clashed with senior managers and the automaker's powerful works council over his electrification strategy and management style.

Diess's appointment as Infineon chairman is subject to a confirming vote at the chipmaker's annual meeting on Feb. 16. He will succeed Wolfgang Eder, 70, who plans to resign at the meeting.

"Now is the right time to make changes to the supervisory board," said Eder, who has held the post since 2019. "Given the highly challenging environment in which Infineon is active, I am pleased to welcome Dr. Diess as the ideal candidate to become my successor. He has excellent knowledge of the company and of the industry landscape."

The move represents a return to the chipmaker for Diess, a fomer BMW executive, who was a supervisory board member from 2015 to 2020.

Infineon, based in Neubiberg near Munich, counts the automotive industry as its biggest customer.

Stellantis recently announced plans to buy more than $1 billion worth of chips from Infineon as it electrifies its brands in Europe including Peugeot, Fiat, Opel, and Alfa Romeo.

The head of Infineon's automotive unit, Peter Schiefer said in January that he expects shortages of its core microchips to be over next year, with the situation improving in summer 2023.

To meet the growing demand, Infineon plans to expand its production capacities, including investment in its 1.6 billion-euro ($1.8 billion) semiconductor plant in Villach, Austria, which was inaugurated last year.