VW CEO Oliver Blume Tops the CEO-Impact-Ranking: Automotive Industry Dominates Media Agenda

Global economic uncertainty, the debate over Germany’s competitiveness, and the transformation of key industries shaped the media agenda in the third quarter of 2025. The automotive sector, in particular, stands for the tension between structural crisis and promises of renewal. Discussions around production, jobs, and technological sovereignty increasingly played out through the public appearances and statements of corporate leaders. That is the picture from PRophet’s latest CEO-Impact-Ranking for the third quarter of 2025. Once again at the top is Oliver Blume, CEO of VW and Porsche, whose remarks on transformation, Germany as a business location, and global competition helped frame the economic policy debate.

Blume leads the ranking by a wide margin. Media coverage focused on the company’s strategic realignment and its path toward e-mobility. The broader discourse centered on how adaptable Germany’s auto industry is in a globalized market. Bild am Sonntag quoted Blume as saying: “The world has been knocked off its axis: geopolitical crises, wars, tariffs. This affects the entire industry and us as well. But we are already countering it successfully.” Tagesschau wrote: “With a clear focus on e-mobility.” Welt added context to Blume’s outlook: “Our business model, which sustained us for many decades, no longer works in this form.”

Papperger takes No. 2; Källenius rounds out the Top 3

Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, holds second place in the Q3 ranking. His media presence reflects order intake, capacity expansion, and the security relevance of the sector. The FAZ described Rheinmetall as emblematic of an industry on the rise. Reuters quoted Papperger: “Rheinmetall is successfully on its way to becoming a global defense champion.” Particular weight falls on the drone segment. “The drone market in Germany alone will grow to several million euros in the coming years,” Der Spiegel quoted Papperger as saying. The combination of security context and industrial scaling keeps Papperger at the center of media coverage.

Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz, rounds out the Top 3. Around the IAA, he positioned himself in the regulatory debate while underscoring competitive ambition. Bild quoted Källenius: “A fixed-date ban on combustion engines is too one-dimensional.” Reuters reported: “We have to take new players seriously. In electric mobility we have moved to the forefront, so we have no reason to fear China,” Källenius said. This reflects the tension between regulatory policy and global competition.

BMW CEO Zipse at No. 4, followed by Siemens’ Roland Busch

BMW remained prominent in discussions on transformation, product strategy, and international markets. The company’s presence at the IAA and Zipse’s focus on the “Neue Klasse” generated positive resonance and strengthened the brand’s perception. Der Spiegel reported on the rollout logic of the “Neue Klasse”: “We are bringing these technologies into our entire portfolio and will renew virtually every model within a short period,” Oliver Zipse said. At the same time, Zipse struck a sober note on the sector’s outlook. Der Spiegel quoted him: “In this industry you cannot afford mistakes.” And: “There will be a shake-out in our industry.”

Siemens shaped Q3 coverage on digitalization, energy efficiency, and industrial competitiveness. The technology group serves as a bellwether for German industry and addresses key questions about the business location. Reuters quoted Roland Busch: “Geopolitical tensions, fluctuating tariffs, and trade restrictions are apparently the new normal.” At the same time, Busch emphasized reliability in the outlook. Reuters reported that he sees Siemens on track to meet its guidance for the fiscal year.

Further positions in the Top 10: Christian Sewing (Deutsche Bank, No. 6), Bill Anderson (Bayer, No. 7), Christian Klein (SAP, No. 8), Bjørn Gulden (Adidas, No. 9), and Oliver Bäte (Allianz, No. 10).

For the CEO-Impact-Ranking, PRophet’s media-intelligence experts analyzed 4,581 articles from 116 German and international print and online sources published from July through September 2025. The ranking is based on results from the PRophet DAX Benchmark, which continuously tracks media presence for all DAX companies and their CEOs, as well as likelihood of reception, focus, and the tonal balance of coverage.