Oliver Blume

Oliver Blume, CEO of the $348 billion auto juggernaut Volkswagen, lives life in the fast lane. The dual boss of the luxury carmaker Porsche made a name for himself by helping to double sales and profits at the supercar giant after taking the helm in 2015. Since 2022, he has overseen Volkswagen’s 650,000 global employees, amping up its electric pledge and battling a rising threat from Chinese competitors on the way to making the carmaker Europe’s largest company. Two years into his role, his mettle is really being tested. Blume is undertaking a €10 billion ($11 billion) cost-cutting drive as the carmaker deals with repeated profit warnings and falling revenues. With investor pressure to trim Volkswagen’s German workforce, gain back lost competitiveness, and consider his role as a dual CEO of Volkswagen and Porsche, Blume will hope his need for speed is enough to turn the carmaker around before it’s too late.