Milan NedeljkovicBMW’s supervisory board on Tuesday appointed Milan Nedeljkovic as new CEO, replacing long-time head Oliver Zipse, as the German carmaker launches a new generation of models in a tough market environment.
Once he takes the reins on May 14 next year, Nedeljkovic will be in charge of a carmaker struggling to find traction amid stiff competition from China and high US tariffs.
Those challenges prompted the luxury automaker to cut its 2025 earnings forecast in October, and BMW is now banking on the first model from the all-electric “Neue Klasse” series to drive growth in 2026.
More than three decades at BMW
Nedeljkovic, aged 56 and currently the head of production, has worked for the group since 1993, BMW said in a statement.
The Serbian-born manager who studied in Germany and Cambridge, Massachusetts, joined the group as a trainee and worked his way through several BMW locations in Germany, and one in Oxford, before joining the management board in 2019.
Nedeljkovic unites people and motivates them to achieve peak performance, “a crucial leadership quality for continuing the BMW Group’s successful trajectory during the current transformation,” said supervisory board chairman Nicolas Peter.
His contract as CEO runs until 2031.
Metzler analyst Pal Skirta said Nedeljkovic’s reputation for flexibility and understanding of how BMW operates across its different lines due to his time in Oxford was positive.
“This makes him well-equipped to navigate the challenges ahead and help steer BMW through a rapidly changing landscape.”
Zipse was ‘driving force’
Zipse, 61, whose mandate had been extended beyond the usual retirement until 2026, will resign, by mutual agreement with the supervisory board, at the end of May 13, 2026 – the day planned for the 2026 annual general meeting.
After serving a total of 35 years with the company, Zipse is expected to join Airbus’ board of directors, the European aircraft manufacturer announced earlier this year.
“He has guided BMW through global crises such as the coronavirus pandemic and is the driving force behind the Neue Klasse, the company’s most ambitious future project,” said Peter.
