by The BMW Group has announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer. From 2026, leadership of the company will pass to Milan Nedeljković, who currently heads the production division. This change comes at a pivotal moment for the brand as it actively develops electrification and prepares to launch the new generation of Neue Klasse vehicles.
Transition Period and Future Plans
Milan Nedeljković will not immediately assume the CEO position. The current leader, Oliver Zipse, will continue to head the company until the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, which will take place on May 13, 2026. After that, Nedeljković will begin his tenure, with his contract running until 2031.
Oliver Zipse led the company for seven years, steering it through an extremely challenging period. During his leadership, BMW overcame the COVID-19 pandemic, major supply chain disruptions, and executed one of the most intensive new product launch cycles in the company’s history.
Oliver Zipse always prioritized BMW’s success. He consistently took a clear stance — even in the face of serious external challenges — and thus kept the company on course during turbulent times.
Experience of the New Leader
Milan Nedeljković is a BMW veteran. He joined the company as early as 1993 as a trainee and has since held management positions at plants in Oxford, Leipzig, and Munich. According to company representatives, he has built strong relationships within the team.
He enjoys great respect and trust from BMW employees. Together with him, we look forward to continuing the long tradition of cooperation between the Works Council and corporate management as the foundation of our successful BMW history.
Strategic Goals and New Models
The next five years will be extremely important for the BMW brand. The company plans to bring more than 40 new or updated models to market by the end of 2027, all of which will use the same computing systems as the new iX3.
This includes a complete redesign of the company’s model range, unified under a single design direction set by the second-generation iX3. Many of these models will also receive the new panoramic iDrive system from the iX3, signifying a significant update to both the interface and in-cabin technologies.
The arrival of the new leader, who has risen from trainee to top manager, symbolizes internal stability and loyalty to tradition for BMW. His deep knowledge of production processes could become a key asset during a period when the company must not only efficiently launch dozens of new products but also manage the parallel production of vehicles with different types of powertrains. The success of this transition will largely depend on Nedeljković’s ability to combine operational efficiency with the innovative risk necessary to compete in the modern automotive market.
