- 56-year-old has long-standing experience in the automotive sector and in the Far East
- ZF CEO Dr. Sommer: New position underscores importance of the Region of Asia-Pacific for ZF
ZF Friedrichshafen AG is reinforcing its business in the growth region Asia-Pacific: On March 1, Rudi von Meister, 56, will assume responsibility for this market region of the technology company as President of Asia-Pacific with headquarters in Shanghai. ZF is bundling its operations throughout the region in this newly created position – from the world’s most densely populated countries such as China and India through to emerging countries such as Thailand and Malaysia.
“Rudi von Meister’s knowledge of the automotive industry and the Asia-Pacific region goes back nearly 30 years,” says ZF CEO
Dr. Stefan Sommer. “With his experience he provides valuable support for us as we further strengthen and expand our activities in the Far East.” Rudi von Meister will be reporting in this function directly to Jürgen Holeksa, responsible for the Region of Asia-Pacific on the ZF Board of Management.
Rudi von Meister
Rudi von Meister was born in the United States in 1957. Having obtained a bachelor’s degree in communications and an MBA in Finance and International Business in the United States he spent several years in various functions with automotive manufacturer General Motors. In 1993 he moved to Delphi Automotive Systems where, among other things, he was Vice President responsible for the supplier group’s Chinese business with headquarters in Beijing. In 1997 he returned to General Motors where he remained until 2005; from 2000 to 2004 as General Director Aftersales in Asia, and later as Managing Director Ship Direct and Export Distribution in North America. Following a stint as a consultant at AT Kearney, Rudi von Meister moved to the Fiat Group China as Vice President Business Development, while at the same time jointly managing the China business of commercial vehicle manufacturer Iveco. Before joining ZF Friedrichshafen AG Rudi von Meister became President of Navistar, the U.S. commercial vehicle manufacturer, in 2011, assuming responsibility for its business and sales in China.
ZF in Asia-Pacific
ZF has had a presence with a representative office in Asia-Pacific since 1987. Since then the region has become increasingly important for ZF and is today – together with North America – the most important international market after Europe. In 2013 the Group generated approximately €3 billion in the region. China, the most important individual market, accounted for around €2 billion. The emerging “Next-15 countries” also play an important role; for example, ZF commissioned a new axle assembly plant in Kulim, Malaysia only in November 2013. In total ZF has about 7,500 employees in Asia-Pacific.
