Dr. Stefan Sommer

Stefan Sommer was born in Germany in 1963. After studying Mechanical Engineering at the Ruhr University Bochum, he went on to complete his doctoral studies there as a research assistant to Prof. Dr. K.-H. Fasol in the Department of Control Engineering. In 1993, Stefan Sommer successfully earned his Engineering Doctorate.

He subsequently began his professional career as a Development Engineer at ITT Teves (later Continental). In 1997 he moved to Continental Automotive Systems in Hanover as Director of Electronics & Sensor Development. After holding several positions within the Continental Group, most recently Senior Vice President EBS Customer Center, Stefan Sommer joined ZF Sachs AG in 2008 as Member of the Board of Management for the Chassis Systems Division. In 2010, he was appointed to the central Board of Management of ZF AG in Friedrichshafen, where he assumed responsibility for the Materials Management business. At the end of 2011, the Supervisory Board nominated him as Chief Executive Officer of ZF AG. He succeeded Hans Georg Härter in this role on 1 May 2012. Stefan Sommer left ZF AG in December 2017. On 1 September 2017, he was appointed to the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg with responsibility for the Components and Procurement business. Stefan Sommer left Volkswagen at his own request at the end of June 2020. In May 2021, Stefan Sommer was elected a member of the Supervisory Board of Knorr-Bremse AG.

Board memberships

• Member of the Board of Directors of Aeva, Inc. (California/USA)
• Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Jost Werke AG
• Member of the Presidential Council of DEKRA e.V.