Porsche will hand the CEO job to Michael Leiters, the former McLaren boss, as Oliver Blume steps aside to focus on his leadership of Volkswagen. Leiters will take over starting January 1, 2026.
Blume’s decade at Porsche has been marked by investor unrest, falling profits, and criticism over his dual role at both Volkswagen and Porsche. Stockholders from both sides finally got their wish. Leiters, a German engineer with heavy experience at Ferrari and McLaren plus thirteen years inside Porsche’s own walls, returns to take control of the brand he helped shape.
Leiters is no stranger to Porsche loyalists. He was a big force behind the first Cayenne, then ran product lines for the Macan and Cayenne before heading off to Maranello and McLaren. At McLaren, he nursed the troubled Artura supercar through teething pains and oversaw the launch of the 750S and W1. After leaving McLaren this spring, Leiters now finds himself back in Stuttgart, this time with the whole company under his boot.
Porsche’s decision follows two years of tumbling profits, with first half operating income for 2025 falling 67 percent and sales revenue dropping 6.7 percent. Blume’s focus on electrification wasn’t enough to reverse the slide, especially as the market cooled rapidly in China and the United States. Shareholders, workers, and Porsche’s own founding family pushed for a clear, single-minded leader. Dr. Michael Leiters is now the face expected to restore focus and fire at the top of Zuffenhausen.
