Continental has appointed Roland Welzbacher to the executive board, effective August 1, 2025. Welzbacher will succeed Olaf Schick, who will step down from the role of CFO on September 30, 2025, with Welzbacher taking over from Schick on October 1 following a joint transition period.
Roland Welzbacher has been with Continental for 22 years and has held several positions in the business, including CEO of Semperit Reifen, head of the tire-replacement business for OEMs and international fleets, and head of the tire-replacement business in Southern Europe. Before joining Continental, he worked as a mergers and acquisitions consultant at Hypo Consult in Munich, Germany.
The allocation and structure of Schick’s executive board functions (finance as well as integrity and law) will be announced at a later date. Welzbacher will continue to manage both the finance and controlling functions in the Tires group sector, which he has headed since 2023.
After the ContiTech group sector becomes independent, Welzbacher will continue his executive board role at Continental, which will then be focused on tires. Schick will join the board of management of Mercedes-Benz Group effective October 1, 2025.
“In Roland Welzbacher, we have appointed an extremely experienced manager to the executive board with strong ties to the company. He is an excellent choice for the position of CFO, given the planned independence of the ContiTech group sector and the future focus of Continental as a tire company,” said Wolfgang Reitzle, chairman of Continental’s supervisory board.
“Roland Welzbacher is an outstanding leader with whom I have worked closely for many years. His extensive international experience in the tire sector and deep expertise in finance as well as mergers and acquisitions make him exceptionally well suited to help shape Continental’s realignment as CFO. I look forward to continuing our collaboration on the executive board,” said Continental CEO Nikolai Setzer.
In related news, Continental’s project to enhance sustainability in smallholder natural rubber cultivation with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) has been extended by three years. Click here to read the full story.
