ZF Appoints Dr. Peter Holdmann as Chief Technology Officer to Strengthen Group-Wide Innovation and Engineering Strategy

Dr. Peter Holdmann
Member of the Board of Management of ZF Friedrichshafen AG
Chassis Solutions
North America, South America Regions
Research and Development
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Dr. Peter Holdmann
Mitglied des Vorstands der ZF Friedrichshafen AG
Chassis Solutions
Regionen Nordamerika und Südamerika
Research and Development
Date: Nov 01, 2025

(IN BRIEF) ZF Friedrichshafen AG has strengthened its executive leadership by appointing Dr. Peter Holdmann as Chief Technology Officer, a newly created role designed to unify and elevate technology management across the company. Already responsible for Research and Development as a Board member, Holdmann will now oversee the broader technological strategy, ensuring stronger alignment of innovation efforts across all divisions. The move reflects ZF’s focus on enhancing efficiency, competitiveness, and the speed at which new technologies are brought to market. With growing emphasis on software-defined vehicles, artificial intelligence, and connected systems, the company aims to position itself at the forefront of automotive innovation. Holdmann’s extensive experience and leadership within ZF are expected to support this transition, driving improved engineering performance and reinforcing the company’s long-term technological direction.

(PRESS RELEASE) FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, 24-Apr-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — ZF Friedrichshafen AG has expanded its executive leadership structure by appointing Dr. Peter Holdmann to the newly established position of Chief Technology Officer (CTO), reinforcing the company’s commitment to strengthening its technological capabilities across all business divisions.

The decision, approved by the Supervisory Board, introduces a dedicated executive-level role focused on overseeing and aligning the Group’s technological direction. Dr. Holdmann, who already serves on ZF’s Board of Management with responsibility for Research and Development, will now assume broader oversight of innovation and engineering strategy across the organization.

By creating the CTO function, ZF aims to centralize its technology management at the highest level of governance, ensuring that development activities throughout the company are more closely coordinated, efficient, and responsive to evolving customer demands. The move represents a structural shift, as the company previously did not maintain a unified executive role dedicated solely to technology leadership.

Dr. Rolf Breidenbach, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, highlighted Holdmann’s ability to bridge technical expertise with strategic insight, noting that this combination will be instrumental in refining ZF’s technological direction and strengthening its development capabilities across all divisions.

ZF CEO Mathias Miedreich emphasized the strategic importance of the new role, describing technology as a fundamental pillar of the company’s competitiveness. He indicated that elevating technology leadership to the Executive Board level is intended to accelerate the conversion of innovation into market-ready products, while also enhancing efficiency and cost performance within research and development operations.

Dr. Holdmann has been a central figure in advancing ZF’s technological transformation in recent years. Expanding his responsibilities to include the CTO role reflects the growing importance of areas such as software-defined vehicles, artificial intelligence, and integrated system architectures within the automotive sector.

In his expanded position, Holdmann will prioritize improving engineering efficiency across ZF’s global operations. He stressed that maintaining financial discipline while advancing innovation remains essential, particularly as emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence reshape development processes. These advancements are expected to streamline workflows, increase speed, and support faster decision-making, ultimately leading to more competitive and market-oriented products.

With a doctorate in mechanical engineering focused on automotive applications, Dr. Holdmann brings over 20 years of experience in the development and management of complex vehicle systems. His career includes academic work at RWTH Aachen University and a long-standing tenure at ZF, where he has held various leadership roles since joining the company in 2000. He became a member of the Board of Management in May 2024.

About ZF
ZF is a global technology company supplying advanced mobility products and systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology. Its comprehensive product range is primarily aimed at vehicle manufacturers, mobility providers and start-up companies in the fields of transportation and mobility. ZF electrifies a wide range of vehicle types. With its products, the company contributes to reducing emissions, protecting the climate as well as enhancing safe mobility. Alongside the automotive sector – passenger cars and commercial vehicles – ZF also serves market segments such as construction and agricultural machinery, wind power, marine propulsion, rail drives and test systems

With some 153,000 employees worldwide, ZF reported sales of €38.8 billion in fiscal 2025.

The company operates 162 production locations in 29 countries.

For further press information and photos, please visit: www.zf.com

Media Contact:

Andreas Veil, Head of External Communications,
Phone: +49 7541 77-7925, email: andreas.veil@zf.com

SOURCE: ZF