From Toolmaker to Architect of Modern Manufacturing: Porsche Board Member Albrecht Reimold to Retire

From Toolmaker to Architect of Modern Manufacturing: Porsche Board Member Albrecht Reimold to Retire

Stuttgart. Generation change at Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG: Albrecht Reimold, Member of the Executive Board for Production and Logistics, is retiring at the age of 65 and at the end of his contract. For more than ten years, the trained toolmaker and graduate engineer in production engineering headed the sports car manufacturer’s Production and Logistics division on the Executive Board. Reimold will hand over his responsibilities on August 31, 2026. The date coincides with the end of Porsche’s traditional summer shutdown. His successor Christian Friedl (49) comes from within the company. Most recently, he was Head of Corporate Quality and previously held various management positions in Porsche production.

“Albrecht Reimold has earned an excellent reputation in the international automotive industry over the past decades. His deep technical expertise has been instrumental in further advancing Porsche’s production and logistics operations over many years,” says Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG. “We would like to thank Albrecht Reimold for his outstanding work and wish him all the very best for the future.”

Albrecht Reimold: “When I joined Porsche more than ten years ago, I was very proud to serve on the Executive Board as a trained toolmaker. Today, I look back with pride on what we have achieved together as a team during this time. After nearly five decades in the industry, saying goodbye does not come easy. On the other hand, I was able to adjust to the date long in advance and I’m sure that I won’t get bored in retirement.”

Albrecht Reimold completed his apprenticeship in the toolmaking trade in 1980 as the national winner of Germany’s skilled trades competition. He joined Audi in 1987 via a trainee program, where he took over plant management in Neckarsulm in 2009. In between, he was responsible for the production launch of the Lamborghini Gallardo in Italy. Prior to joining Porsche in 2016, Reimold headed Volkswagen Slovakia’s multi-brand plant in Bratislava as Chairman of the Executive Board and Board Member for Technology.

Shortly after joining Porsche’s Executive Board in 2016, Reimold was responsible for setting up “a factory within the factory” with Taycan production in Zuffenhausen. He also steered production and logistics safely through times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the semiconductor crisis. During his tenure, Porsche also further developed the strategic direction of its toolmaking operations in Schwarzenberg.

Together with the experts from the toolmaking department, Reimold ensured the successful start-up of the V4Smart joint venture, which is responsible for the production of high-performance round cells for the T-Hybrid drive in various 911 models.

Reimold was also the driving force behind the founding of Smart Press Shop GmbH & Co. KG – a joint venture with Andritz Schuler GmbH – to create one of the most modern press shops in the automotive industry in Halle (Saale). Finally, in 2025, another major project was launched: the Porsche Smart Battery Shop s.r.o. in Horná Streda, Slovakia, a battery module production facility for the high-voltage battery in the new Cayenne Electric.

Under Reimold’s leadership, Porsche further strengthened and modernised its global production and logistics network. His work exemplifies what Porsche is all about at its core: engineering at the highest level, coupled with consistent implementation strength. Corresponding awards underline the exemplary character of the Porsche locations in an international comparison. For example, the Porsche plant in Leipzig recently received the Automotive Lean Production Award for highly automated and digital production in 2025.

“Albrecht Reimold has consistently implemented the digitalization of production and logistics. He has always set exceptionally high standards for his teams and I am convinced that Christian Friedl will build on this and at the same time find his own way,” says Dr. Wolfgang Porsche.

Christian Friedl is a long-standing Porsche executive. He started his career at Porsche in 1999 after studying mechanical engineering at the University of Applied Sciences Regensburg. At the sports car manufacturer, he held various production-related positions in the areas of engine assembly, body shop and paint shop. From 2016, he headed Porsche’s headquarters plant in Zuffenhausen. In 2021, he moved to SEAT’s main plant in Martorell before returning to Porsche in 2023 as Head of Corporate Quality.

“Albrecht Reimold has given our production and logistics enormous stability in a very volatile environment. With Christian Friedl, we are now executing a planned leadership transition. He personally has all the qualities required to further develop our production network and to secure and expand the competitiveness of our sites,” says Dr. Michael Leiters, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG. “We have already worked very well together in his previous role. I am delighted that the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG has recognised his achievements by appointing him to the Executive Board.”

Further awards for Albrecht Reimold:

• Winner of the 1997 Prof. Ferdinand Porsche Prize for his contribution to the development of the Audi Space Frame for large-scale production.
• 2014 Awarded the Human Award (2014) by the University of Cologne and the Kluge Family Foundation for visionary and responsible action. 
• 2021 “Eurostar Winner” by Automotive News Europe magazine in the Manufacturing Executive category.
• 2023 Leipzig plant named Europe’s Factory of the Year, an award by the management consultancy Kearney in cooperation with the trade journal Produktion and the Süddeutscher Verlag.
• Commitment to sustainability: During his tenure, the Zuffenhausen and Leipzig sites received several platinum awards from the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB).