Eurostars 2019

TITLE: CEO
COMPANY: Opel
BASED: Rüsselsheim, Germany
AGE: 50
NATIONALITY: German

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Lohscheller started his automotive career at Mitsubishi Europe in 2001. In 2004 he moved to Volkswagen Group, where he worked in marketing and served as chief financial officer for VW Group of America. He joined Opel as CFO in 2012 and was named CEO in July 2017, shortly after PSA Group bought Opel/Vauxhall from General Motors.

REASON FOR WINNING

After losing nearly a billion dollars a year for two decades under GM, Opel showed a 4.7 percent operating profit in 2018, the brand’s first full year under PSA ownership. The profit came two years ahead of the goal set in the PACE turnaround plan, which Lohscheller helped craft. He has pushed Opel to reduce fixed costs, streamline its product range, prepare for tough emissions targets, and work out agreements on job reductions -- with few forced layoffs.