Karsten Schnake: Taking Responsibility for VW's Procurement

Karsten Schnake has joined Volkswagen Passenger Cars' Board of Management as Head of Procurement, becoming a member of the Extended Executive Committee in the process. 

Effective 1 November, he replaces Dirk Große-Loheide, who is set to retire as planned. To facilitate a smooth handover, Karsten will maintain his current position as acting Board Member for Procurement at Škoda through 31 December, alongside his new responsibilities.

Oliver Blume, CEO of the Volkswagen Group, says: "In challenging times, Dirk Große-Loheide has realigned procurement and developed a forward-looking procurement strategy.

"I would like to express my special thanks to him for the impulses he has given the Volkswagen Group. I'm very pleased that Karsten Schnake is his successor. He will successfully continue on this path thanks to his substantial experience and expertise."

Who is Karsten Schnake?

Karsten began his career at the Volkswagen Group back in 1996 at the Project Management division in Wolfsburg.

Roles over the past three decades include Head of Procurement at Volkswagen Group Italy, where he gained extensive experience in global series coordination as well as in capacity, cost and process management in Wolfsburg.

He also spent time working at Volkswagen Group China, where he was the Executive Vice President responsible for strategic procurement and for controlling the procurement activities of all group brands in the country.

Karsten has been a member of the Board of Management responsible for Procurement at Škoda Auto since July 2020.

Writing on LinkedIn, Karsten said: "I'm honoured to follow Dirk Große-Loheide, whose leadership has left a strong legacy across the group. Thank you, Dirk, for your trust and inspiration.

"Throughout my career, I've helped drive group-wide initiatives – from harmonising procurement processes across all brands to leading teams through major global challenges such as the Fukushima aftermath, the global economic downturn and the semiconductor supply crisis.

"These experiences have shaped how I see resilience – not just as a strategy, but as a shared mindset across the group. For me, it has always been one group, one journey – no matter the brand or location. From Wolfsburg to Verona, Beijing to Mladá Boleslav, the mission has remained the same: shaping progress together.

"I'm deeply grateful for the journey so far – and even more motivated for the one ahead."

Passing the baton

Dirk Große-Loheide took charge of procurement across the Volkswagen Group in early 2023.

A Volkswagen stalwart, Dirk started out in machine procurement in Wolfsburg and later took on senior roles at SEAT, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Volkswagen de México.

From 2014, he took on key tasks in Group Procurement and joined MAN Truck & Bus and the Volkswagen Truck & Bus Group as a member of the Board of Management in 2017.

In 2019, he returned to Volkswagen AG and became a member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, later becoming a member of the Board of Management responsible for Procurement and IT at Audi.

Dirk has been a member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand responsible for Procurement and a member of the Extended Executive Committee since January 2023.

He has been tasked with embedding sustainability into procurement frameworks, strengthening transparency in critical supply chains like batteries and delivering tighter control over cost and risk.

Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen brand and member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, adds: "I thank Dirk Große-Loheide for his commitment and am delighted that Karsten Schnake is taking on responsibility for procurement for the Group, the Brand Group Core and the Volkswagen brand.

"Thanks to his many international positions, he has in-depth brand and regional expertise and has already successfully established many new business areas. This means that Karsten brings with him the very know-how we need for the next steps in our transformation."