BMW’s next chief executive will be Serbian-born insider Milan Nedeljkovic. The 56-year-old production boss has been picked to steer the group through a much tougher electric-vehicle fight with fast-rising Chinese brands and Tesla when he takes over on May 14, 2026.
He will become CEO the day after the company’s annual general meeting, succeeding 61-year-old Oliver Zipse, who leaves as planned after a 35-year career with the group.
Zipse has led BMW since 2019 and is closely associated with the launch of the company’s Neue Klasse electric platform.
The supervisory board confirmed the succession decision at its meeting today. It praised Nedeljkovic for his approach to strategy and execution, with chairman Nicolas Peter saying he “convinces with his strategic foresight, strong implementation skills, and entrepreneurial thinking” and is known for tightly managing financial and ecological resources.
Nedeljkovic has sat on the board of management since 2019 as head of production, overseeing a global factory network that is being retooled for BMW’s next wave of electric models.
He joined the company as a trainee in 1993 and has held senior roles across its plants, including leadership posts at Plant Oxford, Plant Leipzig and BMW’s home plant in Munich, as well as a spell as senior vice-president for corporate quality.
Born in Kruševac, Serbia, he studied mechanical engineering at RWTH Aachen and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before completing a doctorate at the Technical University of Munich.
His contract as CEO will run until 2031, signalling that BMW expects him to see through a full cycle of Neue Klasse launches and plant upgrades.
For BMW, the choice keeps faith with its tradition of promoting long-serving insiders with deep production experience.
For Nedeljkovic, the way forward is to keep the factories flexible, get the new EVs out on time and make sure BMW still looks like a serious premium player in a market now swarming with Chinese contenders and one very loud American disruptor.
