{"id":84366,"date":"2025-12-09T11:19:32","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T16:19:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=84366"},"modified":"2025-12-09T11:19:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T16:19:32","slug":"bmw-new-ceo-milan-nedeljkovic-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=84366","title":{"rendered":"Who is Milan Nedeljkovi\u0107 \u2014 The New CEO of BMW Group"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As of December 9, 2025, BMW\u2019s Supervisory Board formally announced that Milan Nedeljkovi\u0107, the incumbent Board member responsible for production, will become the new Chairman of the Board of Management (CEO) of the BMW Group \u2014 replacing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmwblog.com\/2023\/10\/28\/oliver-zipse-bmw-ceo-interview\/\">Oliver Zipse<\/a>. The change takes effect on May 14, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>At 56 years old, Nedeljkovi\u0107 brings to the role more than three decades of deep institutional experience at BMW. He joined the company as a trainee in 1993 and has steadily climbed the ranks through a variety of technical and leadership roles. His new CEO contract runs through 2031, signaling long-term confidence from the Supervisory Board.<\/p>\n<h3>From Student to Plant Expert \u2014 Education and Early Career<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-1-scaled.jpg\"><noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-509036\" title=\"Milan Nedeljkovi\u0107\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-1-830x553.jpg\" alt=\"MILAN NEDELJKOVI\u0107 1\" width=\"830\" height=\"553\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-1-830x553.jpg 830w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-medium wp-image-509036\" title=\"Milan Nedeljkovi\u0107\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%20830%20553%22%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-1-830x553.jpg\" alt=\"MILAN NEDELJKOVI\u0107 1\" width=\"830\" height=\"553\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-1-830x553.jpg 830w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Nedeljkovi\u0107 studied mechanical engineering between 1988 and 1993 at RWTH Aachen University in Germany and spent time at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.<\/li>\n<li>He subsequently earned a doctorate in engineering \u2014 specializing in forming technology and foundry engineering \u2014 from Technical University of Munich (TUM) by 2004.<\/li>\n<li>In 1993, immediately after his studies, he joined BMW as a trainee at the Munich plant \u2014 beginning what would become a steady rise through BMW\u2019s production and management hierarchy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Key Milestones: Roles at BMW 1993\u20132019<\/h3>\n<p>Nedeljkovi\u0107\u2019s progression reflects broad exposure to BMW\u2019s manufacturing infrastructure \u2014 from press shops and body shops to full plant management.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1994\u20131999: Early planning roles in body shop and press shop \u2014 mastering the fundamentals of auto-body production.<\/li>\n<li>1999\u20132006: Leadership assignments at the Munich and Regensburg plants \u2014 strengthening operational and managerial expertise.<\/li>\n<li>2006\u20132010: Head of Painted Body (paint shop) at the Oxford plant of MINI \u2014 a role combining technical know-how with brand-quality safeguarding.<\/li>\n<li>2010\u20132013: Head of Assembly, then Head of Site at the BMW plant in Leipzig \u2014 overseeing key stages of vehicle assembly and site operations.<\/li>\n<li>2015\u20132018: Plant Manager at BMW\u2019s Munich plant \u2014 one of the company\u2019s most important production sites.<\/li>\n<li>2018\u20132019: Head of Corporate Quality \u2014 responsible for quality assurance across BMW\u2019s global manufacturing network.<\/li>\n<li>Since October 2019: Member of the Board of Management, responsible for Production \u2014 shepherding the company\u2019s global production operations across multiple plants and countries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Head of Production \u2014 Steering BMW Toward Electrification and \u201cNeue Klasse\u201d<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-bmw-00.jpg\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-466434\" title=\"Milan Nedeljkovic\u0301-bmw-00\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-bmw-00-830x553.jpg\" alt=\"Milan Nedeljkovic with the BMW Vision Neue Klasse Concept\" width=\"830\" height=\"553\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-bmw-00-830x553.jpg 830w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-bmw-00-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-bmw-00-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-bmw-00-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-bmw-00.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\"\/><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-medium wp-image-466434\" title=\"Milan Nedeljkovic\u0301-bmw-00\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%20830%20553%22%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-bmw-00-830x553.jpg\" alt=\"Milan Nedeljkovic with the BMW Vision Neue Klasse Concept\" width=\"830\" height=\"553\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-bmw-00-830x553.jpg 830w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-bmw-00-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-bmw-00-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-bmw-00-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Milan-Nedeljkovic-bmw-00.jpg 1920w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>When Nedeljkovi\u0107 took charge of production in 2019, the automotive industry was already shifting rapidly toward electrification. Under his stewardship, BMW has begun to retool and reorganize its production footprint to align with this new reality. The company will give us some insight into that next year when the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmwblog.com\/2025\/03\/19\/bmw-munich-factory-transformation-neue-klasse\/\">new BMW Munich Plant<\/a> will open its doors to the next generation of electric vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>Key elements of his tenure as production head:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Overseeing the global production network (some 31 production sites across roughly 15 countries, and tens of thousands of employees) with a focus on adaptability, quality, and efficiency.<\/li>\n<li>Leading the shift toward electric mobility, with significant emphasis on the upcoming all-electric \u201cNeue Klasse\u201d \u2014 BMW\u2019s next-generation electric-first model family. His appointment as CEO is widely seen as a bet on his ability to deliver this transformation.<\/li>\n<li>Working to reassign and restructure production plants \u2014 focusing internal combustion engine (ICE) production at selected locations (e.g., some sites like Steyr and Hams Hall), while converting other plants to EV and \u201cNeue Klasse\u201d production.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Industry commentators note that his blend of operational know-how, engineering background, and long tenure within BMW make him well-suited to guide the company through one of the most disruptive periods in automotive history \u2014 as Western automakers face stiff competition from Chinese EV makers, regulatory pressure, and rapid technology shifts.<\/p>\n<p>The decision by BMW\u2019s Supervisory Board to elevate Nedeljkovi\u0107 \u2014 rather than bringing in an outside \u201cvisionary\u201d \u2014 speaks volumes about the company\u2019s priorities as of late 2025. According to the board\u2019s statement: he \u201cconvinces with strategic foresight, strong implementation skills, entrepreneurial thinking,\u201d and \u201cinspires people with ideas, unites them behind shared values, and motivates them to realize peak performance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By choosing a CEO with deep operational and production experience, BMW appears to double down on execution: ramping up EV output, ensuring quality and cost discipline, and delivering on the promise of \u201cNeue Klasse\u201d \u2014 all while navigating macroeconomic headwinds such as elevated tariffs, uncertain global demand, and intensifying competition.<\/p>\n<h3>Charisma, Technical Credibility, and Leadership You Can See<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/P90382096_highRes_dr-milan-nedeljkovi-.jpg\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-363503\" title=\"P90382096_highRes_dr-milan-nedeljkovi-\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/P90382096_highRes_dr-milan-nedeljkovi--830x553.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"830\" height=\"553\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/P90382096_highRes_dr-milan-nedeljkovi--830x553.jpg 830w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/P90382096_highRes_dr-milan-nedeljkovi--1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/P90382096_highRes_dr-milan-nedeljkovi--768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/P90382096_highRes_dr-milan-nedeljkovi--1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/P90382096_highRes_dr-milan-nedeljkovi--300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/P90382096_highRes_dr-milan-nedeljkovi-.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\"\/><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-medium wp-image-363503\" title=\"P90382096_highRes_dr-milan-nedeljkovi-\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%20830%20553%22%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/P90382096_highRes_dr-milan-nedeljkovi--830x553.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"830\" height=\"553\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/P90382096_highRes_dr-milan-nedeljkovi--830x553.jpg 830w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/P90382096_highRes_dr-milan-nedeljkovi--1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/P90382096_highRes_dr-milan-nedeljkovi--768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/P90382096_highRes_dr-milan-nedeljkovi--1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/P90382096_highRes_dr-milan-nedeljkovi--300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/P90382096_highRes_dr-milan-nedeljkovi-.jpg 1620w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Over the years, I\u2019ve had the opportunity to meet Nedeljkovi\u0107 several times at interviews and presentations \u2014 most recently during the opening of the group\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmwblog.com\/2025\/09\/16\/bmw-plant-debrecen-tour-ix3-neue-klasse\/\">new \u201ciFACTORY\u201d-era plant in Debrecen<\/a>, Hungary. In person, he comes across as a charismatic leader: articulate, technically grounded, and able to explain complex production and electrification strategies in clear, pragmatic terms.<\/p>\n<p>Given the scale and complexity of BMW\u2019s transformation, that combination of technical credibility and leadership presence may prove essential. We wish him good luck in his new role!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As of December 9, 2025, BMW\u2019s Supervisory Board formally announced that Milan Nedeljkovi\u0107, the incumbent Board member responsible for production, will become the new Chairman of the Board of Management (CEO) of the BMW Group \u2014 replacing Oliver Zipse. The change takes effect on May 14, 2026. At 56 years old, Nedeljkovi\u0107 brings to the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":84367,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=84366"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84366\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/84367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=84366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=84366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=84366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}