Bosch Shakes Up Leadership: Christian Fischer Takes Over as CEO, Hartung Steps Down Early

On June 26, Bosch, the world’s largest automotive parts supplier, announced that Christian Fischer, currently Deputy CEO, will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer effective July 1. Outgoing CEO Stefan Hartung voluntarily proposed stepping down from the Managing Board, and after discussions with the company, both parties agreed on his departure. This leadership change comes just eight months after Hartung received a five-year contract extension in October last year, which was set to keep him in office until 2031—making the move unexpected. Bosch also announced that Markus Forschner, current Chief Financial Officer, and Markus Heyn, head of the Mobility Solutions business sector, will jointly serve as Co-Deputy CEOs. Bosch employs over 400,000 people globally and reported revenue of €91 billion (approximately $104 billion) in fiscal year 2025. In recent years, the company has faced significant operational pressures due to multiple factors: slowing global demand for electric vehicles, automakers revising their electrification strategies, and rising competition from Chinese newcomers who leverage cost advantages and faster development cycles to gain market share. To address these challenges, Bosch has launched several rounds of cost-cutting measures, planning to cut a total of 18,500 jobs—including 13,000 positions in its Mobility Solutions division announced in September 2023. Since the start of 2024, additional headwinds—including U.S. tariff hikes, weak demand in China, and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East—have further squeezed industry profit margins, prompting Bosch and other European auto suppliers to accelerate cost-control initiatives. The company stated that Christian Fischer has been deeply involved in shaping the group’s strategic direction in recent years, and his appointment aims to ensure strategic continuity amid profound transformations in the automotive industry.