Upcoming Bentley CEO is engineer behind Porsche 918 Spyder

MANILA: Luxury carmaker Bentley is getting a new chief executive officer (CEO) next month. The man who is stepping up to the post is Frank-Steffen Walliser, who is previously from Porsche. 

According to the Crewe-based luxury car brand, Walliser is scheduled to assume the leadership post on July 1. He will replace Adrian Hallmark, who held the CEO role of Bentley Motors since 2018. 

The outgoing Bentley chief was noted by the Chairman of the Executive Board of Audi and leader of Brand Group Progressive (Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley, and Ducati) Gernot Dollner, as crucial in transitioning the company toward the path of carbon neutrality. As previously reported, Hallmark will be moving on as the next CEO of Aston Martin on or before October 1, 2024. 

Meanwhile, the upcoming Bentley executive is an accomplished engineer who Dollner described as “brought brand-defining models to the streets at Porsche.”

Bentley noted that among  Walliser’s notable projects is the Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid supercar that was initially launched in 2013. 

To that end, Dollner proclaimed that Walliser’s years of experience and knowledge of luxury cars will be crucial for Bentley. 

Walliser, for his part, has been looking forward to working with Bentley and assured that the brand will be a pace-setter in the luxury segment for years to come. 

“I am approaching this job with great respect and looking forward to having a team in Crewe that has shown impressive performance over the last few years. The continuing transformation of the automotive industry will be a major task for Bentley as well, a task that I am happy to take on with the team. I am convinced Bentley will continue to set standards in the luxury segment in the future,” Walliser said. 

Of note, Walliser entered the automotive industry by joining Porsche in 1995. His studies involved mechanical engineering with a focus on combustion engines and technology management. 

Walliser is a native of Stuttgart, and as mentioned above, was the leading man in the development of the 918 Spyder. Walliser was likewise posted as the Head of Motorsport for Porsche in 2014.

He also oversaw the continued evolution of the Porsche 911 and the 718 Cayman in 2019. Walliser’s last role at Stuttgart-headquartered marque was  the lead for overall vehicle development, a role which he started in 2022.  

Photos from Bentley and Porsche

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