Dual-CEO of Volkswagen and Porsche: Oliver Blume wins CEO Impact Ranking

Top manager Oliver Blume, CEO of Volkswagen and Porsche AG, again wins the CEO Impact Ranking in the first quarter of 2023. UNICEPTA analyzed the media impact of all DAX CEOs for the ranking published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. For this purpose, the analysts of the media intelligence company used a reach-based index score that is built on the weighting factors of reception probability, focus and tonality.

Oliver Blume is the only top manager to head two DAX companies at the same time since December 2022. After he took over the position of VW CEO from Herbert Diess in the summer of 2022, VW subsidiary Porsche AG, whose management body Blume has headed since 2015, was also promoted to the DAX at the end of the year. As the head of two DAX heavyweights, the automotive manager is therefore certain to attract a great deal of media attention. The focus is particularly on the consistent implementation of the e-mobility strategy. According to Blume, "by 2025, every fifth car sold by the ten-brand group worldwide should be a pure electric car," Die Welt quotes him as saying. The New York Times reports a ten-point plan "to help Volkswagen switch to electric vehicles." It also aims to expand its presence in North America, it adds.

Oliver Blume took a thoroughly critical stance in the discussion about the EU-wide phasing out of internal combustion engines. The VW and Porsche boss "advocates not banning the combustion engine. It should remain an option for small manufacturers and small production runs," reports the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Blume is primarily looking at Porsche models. His role in positioning the Federal Minister of Transport at EU level was once again intensively discussed by the media in the course of this.

Bayer chairman must go, Deutsche Bank steers stably through new banking crisis

Werner Baumann, departing CEO of Bayer, received a great deal of media attention, placing him second in the ranking. Baumann ultimately lost the internal power struggle against investors. "Investors topple Aspirin boss Baumann," headlines Bild, for example. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung sees the Group "facing a major upheaval". The heavily criticized acquisition of the Monsanto company and the ensuing legal dispute in the USA were closely linked to Baumann. However, the shareholders' difficult relationship with the still CEO is also reflected in the prompt turnaround in the share price after his departure was announced. When it became known "that Baumann would leave earlier than planned, the share price rocketed skyward," according to Handelsblatt. His successor on July 1, 2023, will surprisingly be the former Roche pharmaceuticals chief Bill Anderson, who has already been a member of the Bayer Board of Management since the beginning of April.

Christian Sewing, CEO of Deutsche Bank, completes the winner's podium, landing in third place. He was able to announce a success story at the beginning of February: "In 2022, we achieved the best result in 15 years," Die Welt quotes him as saying. This means that the bank has more than doubled its profits. The reasons are higher interest rates and a flourishing trading business. But Sewing was also one of the most visible DAX managers in the media in the wake of the recent banking crises. After Credit Suisse started to stumble, he repeatedly reiterated that Deutsche Bank was not at risk. After the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Germany's largest financial institution even saw an influx of deposits. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Sewing described this as a "flight into quality".

BMW and Mercedes-Benz focus on e-mobility and luxury segment

The following places are occupied by the two other major car managers in the DAX: Oliver Zipse (BMW, fourth place) and Ola Källenius (Mercedes-Benz, fifth place). Zipse, who according to Welt underwent a transformation "from combustion engine enthusiast to the electric king," was visible internationally in the wake of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. During a keynote speech, backed by Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger and cult movie cars K.I.T.T. and Herbie, he used the iVision DEE to showcase "what is possible when hardware and software are merged," as Bild am Sonntag summarized. Zipse also reiterated BMW's focus on e-cars and the luxury segment. "In January and February, BMW doubled sales of fully electric cars compared to the same period last year, and even tripled them in China," according to Süddeutsche Zeitung.

The competitor from Stuttgart is pursuing similar goals. "Ola Källenius wants to make Mercedes the most valuable luxury brand in the world," writes Der Spiegel - and is apparently extremely profitable in the process. Focus Money, for example, reported that the group had increased its revenues by twelve percent in the past fiscal year. Ola Källenius is striving to cover several lucrative markets at the same time. The Wall Street Journal reports on a planned visit to China, while the New York Times documents plans to set up a network of stores in the USA.

The other places in the top 10 ranking: Bjørn Gulden (new CEO of Adidas since January 1, sixth place), Markus Krebber (RWE, seventh place), Christian Klein (SAP, eighth place) and Martin Brudermüller (BASF, ninth place). Tenth place goes to Manfred Knof, CEO of DAX newcomer Commerzbank.

For the CEO ranking in the first quarter of 2023, UNICEPTA evaluated around 11,650 articles from German and international print and online sources as well as Twitter that appeared from January to March 2023. The ranking is based on results from the UNICEPTA "DAX Benchmark". With this, the media intelligence provider continuously records the media presence of all DAX companies and their CEOs as well as the reception probability, focus and tonality of media coverage.