On 1 August, 2020 Frank Petznick (49) will take over management of the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) business unit at Continental and become a member of the Management Board of the company’s Autonomous Mobility and Safety business unit. Petznick succeeds Karl Haupt (63), who is leaving the company on 31 July, 2020 after almost seven years at the helm of the business unit and over 36 years of service at Continental.
Petznick, an electrical engineering graduate, joined the technology company on 1 July and has many years of experience in both the automotive and automotive supplier industries. His most recent post was as a member of the Electronics Executive Board at Hella, where he was responsible for the global Automated Driving Product Center.
He started his career in 1998 at Volkswagen as a project manager and later became a project leader for electronic systems. In 2003 he moved to development service provider, Bertrandt, where he worked for five years in various management positions in the field of electronics and infotainment. From 2008 onwards, Petznick held managerial roles at Hella on a regional and global basis, located in Shanghai and Berlin. As the new head of Continental’s ADAS business unit he brings many years of experience with innovative technologies in the fields of electronics and sensor technology. In his role, Petznick reports to Frank Jourdan, member of the executive board of Continental AG and head of the Autonomous Mobility and Safety business area.
“I am delighted that, with Frank Petznick, we have been able to gain an experienced manager in the field of advanced driver assistance systems and automated driving, who along with his team will continue his predecessor’s successful work and continue to drive forward our ambitious growth plans,” stated Frank Jourdan. “At the same time, we would like to sincerely thank Karl Haupt for his outstanding contributions and achievements and wish him all the best for the future.”
During his time at Continental, Haupt held various management positions in several business units and corporate functions. Under his leadership, sales in the field of ADAS increased five-fold in the period from 2013 to 2019, with sales of 2 billion Euros in 2019.
