Christian Kötz appointed CEO of Continental
The supervisory board of Continental AG has today appointed Christian Kötz as new chief executive officer and chairman of the executive board, effective 1st January, 2026.
Kötz replaces Nikolai Setzer, who will step down from the executive board by mutual agreement on 31st December, 2025, after more than 16 years as a board member and five years as CEO.
Continental said this step comes as planned on the back of the significant progress made with its realignment and transformation into a pure-play tyre company.
Following the spin-off of Aumovio and the signing of the agreement to sell the Original Equipment Solutions (OESL) business area, Continental’s transformation is well underway.
Internal preparations for the sale of ContiTech, which is scheduled to take place in 2026, have also been largely completed.
The market outreach phase has been concluded, and the structured sales process will begin in January 2026.
Christian Kötz has held various roles in Continental’s tyre business since 1996. He has been a member of the executive board since 2019 and previously led key areas within the Tires group sector, including the replacement business for passenger-car tires (EMEA), the original-equipment and commercial-vehicle-tyre business units, as well as global R&D for passenger-car tures.
“Nikolai Setzer has been instrumental in shaping Continental, realigning the organisation and paving the way for three strong, independent companies,” said Wolfgang Reitzle, chairman of Continental’s supervisory board. “For this, he has the thanks of the entire Supervisory Board as well as my personal gratitude.”
“With this handover, we are consolidating responsibility for the tyre business, the realignment and the remaining tasks of the group functions in one role. Christian Kötz is one of the most distinguished managers in the global tyre industry. With his extensive experience and passion for Continental, we firmly believe he is the right choice to lead the company successfully into the future,” Reitzle added.