In its ongoing efforts to rebound from the shocking emissions test scandal that rocked the automotive industry, Volkswagen has hired former Daimler manager Christine Hohmann-Dennhardt to serve as its new board member for integrity and legal affairs.
According to Bloomberg, Hohmann-Dennhardt was under contract until February of 2017, but Daimler agreed to her early release so that she could help VW - and the German automotive industry as a whole - recover from the incident. She will begin her new role at VW on January 1, 2016.
The official press regarding her switch reads:
"We are delighted that Dr. Hohmann-Dennhardt has agreed to take on this responsible task and that we can build on her outstanding competence and experience", the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG, Hans Dieter Pötsch, said. "At the same time we would like to thank Daimler AG for agreeing to our request to the early termination of Dr. Hohmann-Dennhardt's contract."
Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of the Center for Automotive Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen, told Bloomberg, 'Daimler is helping VW and the entire German automobile industry clean up the collateral damage from the diesel deceit. A better candidate couldn't have been chosen.'
It will be no easy task for Hohmann-Dennardt. Volkswagen has seen its share price plummet by 30 percent since news of the scandal emerged. Public perception and company morale are also at all-time low as a result. The German auto giant is expected to be hit with billions of dollars in potential fines as a result of their cheating on emissions tests.
Last month, the company was ordered by the US government to recall almost half a million vehicles after it was discovered that their engines had been outfitted with special software capable of deceiving environmental regulations.
