Education and Careers of Management Board Members in the German Automotive Industry, 2012–2026

Field of study of every management board member at five German carmakers (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Porsche, Audi) and four suppliers (Bosch, Continental, ZF, Schaeffler), at year-end reference dates from 2012 to 30 September 2026; 195 persons and 559 carmaker board seats. Includes the careers of the 29 chief executives before taking office, coded as optimisation, restructuring or new-business building. Every row carries its source. Education is used as a proxy for the cognitive base of top managers (Hambrick & Mason, 1984), not as a measure of competence. Basis of the chart in Stähler (2026), “Dominant Logic in the Car Industry”.