Christian Koetz appointed CEO of Continental

Hanover, Germany – Continental AG’s supervisory board has appointed Christian Koetz as the new chief executive officer and chairman of the executive board, effective 1 Jan 2026.

Nikolai Setzer will step down from the executive board by mutual agreement on 31 Dec, after more than 16 years as a board member and five years as CEO, Continental announced 17 Dec.

The move, said Continental “comes as planned” on the back of the group’s “significant progress” in transforming into a “pure-play tire company.”

Following the spin-off of Aumovio and the signing of the agreement to sell ContiTech’s Original Equipment Solutions (OESL) business area, Continental said its transformation is “well underway.”

Internal preparations for the sale of ContiTech, which is scheduled to take place in 2026, have also been "largely completed," it added.

According to Continental, the market outreach phase has been concluded, and the structured sales process will begin in January 2026, setting the stage for the final step in Continental’s transformation.

Setzer has been “instrumental in shaping Continental, realigning the organisation and paving the way for three strong, independent companies," said Wolfgang Reitzle, chairman of Continental’s supervisory board.

“With this handover, we are consolidating responsibility for the tire business, the realignment and the remaining tasks of the group functions in one role,” he said.

Reitzle described Koetz as “one of the most distinguished managers in the global tire industry,” with extensive experience and “passion for Continental.”

Koetz has been leading Continental’s tire division since April 2019. 

He studied engineering management and joined Continental’s tire division as a trainee in 1996.

He was later responsible for key account management for the original equipment in North America, and then for research and development.

From 2011 to 2018, he headed the passenger and light truck tires replacement business for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, before taking over the commercial vehicle tires business unit in July 2018.

From 2015 to the end of 2017, he was also president of the then European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA).