Wolfgang Porsche
He grew up as the youngest child with his siblings Ferdinand Alexander (1935), Gerhard (1938) and Hans-Peter (1940) in Gmünd in Carinthia and Zell am See. After the end of the war, grandfather Ferdinand Porsche was taken prisoner by the French. Meanwhile, his father took over the fortunes of the young automobile company, which moved back to Stuttgart in 1950. From 1950 onwards the family also lived in Stuttgart again, where he attended the Waldorf school. He graduated from high school in 1965 at the Odenwaldschule in Heppenheim. Porsche then studied in Vienna at the University of World Trade with a degree in business administration. In 1972, Porsche received his doctorate in commercial science with a thesis on the "Typology of Business Concentration Phenomena". Porsche initially worked as a general importer for Yamaha motorcycles in Austria before working as a manager at Daimler-Benz in sales and investment management for five years from 1976.
In 1978 he became a member of the supervisory board of Dr. Ing.h.c.F. Porsche AG. From 1983 he was a member of the supervisory board of the various committees of the Austrian Porsche Group in Salzburg. In 1985 he was appointed managing director of Porsche GmbH, Stuttgart. From 1992 onwards, Wendelin Wiedeking from Westphalia headed the company board. Porsche now temporarily became the most profitable car manufacturer in the world. In 2007 he was appointed chairman of the supervisory board of Dr. Ing.h.c.F. Porsche AG and Porsche Automobil Holding SE, Stuttgart. In addition to these positions, Porsche became a member of the supervisory board of the VW Group, Wolfsburg, in April 2008. The Porsche company remained the smallest independent German automobile manufacturer. Meanwhile, Porsche AG's share capital of 45.5 million euros was divided equally into ordinary shares from the members of the Porsche and Piëch families and half into listed preference shares.
In September 2008, Porsche increased its shares in VW to 35.14 percent. According to Porsche, VW officially became a subsidiary under the Securities Takeover Act. However, due to the financial crisis, sales at Porsche fell drastically. Since the VW shares were financed with loans, debts amounting to around 10 billion euros accumulated. Wiedeking then advocated for a capital injection from Qatar. However, his plan came under criticism; Above all, VW supervisory board chairman and Porsche co-owner Ferdinand Piëch opposed his plans. On July 23, 2009, Porsche AG announced that Wiedeking would terminate his contract with the company at his own request and leave Porsche. After the takeover failed, the heavily indebted and highly profitable Porsche AG formally became a subsidiary of the VW Group.
Wolfgang Porsche was married to Susanne Porsche née Bresser for the second time from 1988 to 2008. He was the father of two children from his first marriage and two children from his second marriage. In 2013 he became an honorary citizen of Zell am See. In 2018 he received the Great Decoration of Honor from the State of Salzburg. Porsche also became a member of the board of trustees of the German Museum in Munich and a sponsor of the Burgtheater and the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. In 2019 he married Claudia Porsche, née Hübner, former state councilor and professor of civil and criminal law.
In 1978 he became a member of the supervisory board of Dr. Ing.h.c.F. Porsche AG. From 1983 he was a member of the supervisory board of the various committees of the Austrian Porsche Group in Salzburg. In 1985 he was appointed managing director of Porsche GmbH, Stuttgart. From 1992 onwards, Wendelin Wiedeking from Westphalia headed the company board. Porsche now temporarily became the most profitable car manufacturer in the world. In 2007 he was appointed chairman of the supervisory board of Dr. Ing.h.c.F. Porsche AG and Porsche Automobil Holding SE, Stuttgart. In addition to these positions, Porsche became a member of the supervisory board of the VW Group, Wolfsburg, in April 2008. The Porsche company remained the smallest independent German automobile manufacturer. Meanwhile, Porsche AG's share capital of 45.5 million euros was divided equally into ordinary shares from the members of the Porsche and Piëch families and half into listed preference shares.
In September 2008, Porsche increased its shares in VW to 35.14 percent. According to Porsche, VW officially became a subsidiary under the Securities Takeover Act. However, due to the financial crisis, sales at Porsche fell drastically. Since the VW shares were financed with loans, debts amounting to around 10 billion euros accumulated. Wiedeking then advocated for a capital injection from Qatar. However, his plan came under criticism; Above all, VW supervisory board chairman and Porsche co-owner Ferdinand Piëch opposed his plans. On July 23, 2009, Porsche AG announced that Wiedeking would terminate his contract with the company at his own request and leave Porsche. After the takeover failed, the heavily indebted and highly profitable Porsche AG formally became a subsidiary of the VW Group.
Wolfgang Porsche was married to Susanne Porsche née Bresser for the second time from 1988 to 2008. He was the father of two children from his first marriage and two children from his second marriage. In 2013 he became an honorary citizen of Zell am See. In 2018 he received the Great Decoration of Honor from the State of Salzburg. Porsche also became a member of the board of trustees of the German Museum in Munich and a sponsor of the Burgtheater and the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. In 2019 he married Claudia Porsche, née Hübner, former state councilor and professor of civil and criminal law.