SEAT “boss” becomes SEAT boss

Looks like Erich Schmitt “has had enough” with Audi because he decided to resign as Board Member with responsibility for the SEAT division. His resignation will take effect as of Friday the 23rd of February and this will conclude a period of 15 years, spent by Schmitt with Audi.

Schmitt's resignation is explained by the fact that some brands in the Volkswagen Group have suffered dissolution. This does not mean that Schmitt will leave SEAT, it only means that he will no longer have to report to Audi, but will report to Volkswagen AG directly.

By the looks of it, he will be missed by the Audi Supervisory Board, and Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Audi AG Supervisory, commented on his “departure”:” Erich Schmitt has not only done a great service to Audi as the Board Member responsible for Purchasing. He has also made a critical contribution to driving forward the set-up and development of Audi’s activities in China. On behalf of Audi and the entire Volkswagen Group, I would like to thank him for his hard work for the company. As the President of SEAT S.A., he will continue to focus all his energies on restructuring the brand.”

Erich Schmitt was a member of the Audi AG board for almost 15 years, as he joined the company in April of 1992. At first he has Head of Purchasing of Production Materials and after a short while, in November of the same year he was appointed Board Member responsible for the Purchasing department. He ran Audi activities in China since 1993 and from 1992 to 1997 he was in charge of the Finance and Organization segment of Audi. Schmitt became responsible for SEAT in 2006 but now it's time to take full control of the Spanish origin brand in order to further develop it and make it more successful.