Image: ZFUntil now, development within the ZF Group has been spread across divisions that operated relatively independently of one another. With the introduction of the CTO position, ZF is consolidating group-wide technological governance at the executive board level. “A comparable role did not previously exist at ZF,” the company notes.The immediate goal is to align research and development “across all divisions of the company even more effectively, efficiently, and competitively with customer needs”. The announcement did not specify any synergy targets or savings related to the new executive board division.Peter Holdmann has held leadership positions at ZF since 2000 and has been a member of the executive board since May 2024. While he previously led the Research and Development (R&D) division, his role did not include centralised oversight of development across all divisions – meaning his remit was significantly narrower. Nevertheless, Holdmann is not starting from scratch; he has played a key role in shaping the supplier’s technological development in recent years. “The expansion of his area of responsibility to include the CTO role reflects the increased importance of topics such as software-defined vehicles, artificial intelligence, and connected system architectures,” the announcement states.“With Dr. Peter Holdmann, the newly created CTO role is being filled by an individual who convincingly combines technical depth with strategic perspective. This combination is crucial for further sharpening technology and development across the Group,” says Rolf Breidenbach, Chairman of the ZF Supervisory Board. ZF CEO Mathias Miedreich adds: “Technology is our driving force and the foundation of our competitiveness. With the CTO position, we are sending a clear signal: It strengthens technological leadership within the Group, accelerates the transfer of innovations into marketable solutions, and improves the cost-, and efficiency performance of our Group-wide research and development activities.”In his statement, Holdmann emphasises the importance of engineering efficiency across ZF’s divisions. “Financial discipline and innovations developed in our ZF divisions with a customer-centric approach go hand in hand. The use of artificial intelligence is currently revolutionizing development processes and tools—with tangible effects on efficiency and speed,” says Holdmann. “This transformation is critical to ZF’s competitiveness and creates a dynamic that leads to faster decisions and, ultimately, to products that win over the market. That’s good for ZF and for our customers.”zf.com