Unexpected Departure at German OEM
Mercedes-Benz CIO Katrin Lehmann to leave in September
Before taking over as CIO in April 2024, Lehmann had been Vice President IT Sales/Marketing & Home of Tech at Mercedes-Benz since 2023. In that role, she was responsible for the digitalisation of sales, marketing and aftersales processes.
Mercedes-Benz
Katrin Lehmann will leave Mercedes-Benz after only two years as CIO. Her exit comes as the Stuttgart-based carmaker is still modernising its IT organisation, scaling AI tools and reorganising enterprise technology under a new board structure that links people, processes and data.
There has been a surprising development in IT at
Mercedes-Benz. According to an internal communication to employees, CIO Katrin
Lehmann will leave Mercedes-Benz on 1 September 2026 to pursue new challenges.
It is not yet known who will succeed her as head of IT.
Lehmann had only taken over the CIO role from Jan Brecht in
spring 2024. In the internal letter, written by Britta Seeger, Member of the
Board of Management responsible for Human Relations and Enterprise Tech,
Mercedes-Benz said it was losing “a highly respected, versatile and technically
skilled leader who enjoys an excellent reputation among all stakeholders”.
Seeger thanked Lehmann for what she had achieved, writing:
“She has developed IT into a real engine of our transformation – not least
through the stable, secure and reliable operation of our business-critical IT
systems.”
Why did Lehmann join Mercedes-Benz IT?
When Katrin Lehmann took office in 2024, she launched a
broad modernisation of Mercedes-Benz IT. Her agenda was built around five
strategic levers. One
particular focus was on “rock-solid operations” – meaning stability,
transparency and control across the IT landscape.
At the beginning of her tenure, Lehmann even introduced
internal “clean-up weeks” to make grown complexity and duplicate structures
visible. The aim was to systematically clean up processes, data assets and
infrastructure, thereby creating the basis for further transformation projects.
Building on this, Lehmann pushed for far-reaching
standardisation of processes and systems as well as the creation of a more
integrated, cross-functional product organisation. Other priorities included
promoting a collaborative corporate culture and rapidly identifying and
implementing new technologies.
What did Mercedes-Benz highlight in its internal letter?
In her letter to employees, Britta Seeger underlined the
achievements of the outgoing CIO. Lehmann had put the IT organisation on a
strong foundation through the cross-functional MB Digitalisation Board and the
Tech Operating Model, while combining stability, efficiency and innovation.
According to Seeger, numerous initiatives had also helped
connect technological transformation with a positive and appreciative culture.
One central future topic for Lehmann was artificial intelligence. Mercedes-Benz
IT was expected to provide employees across the company with digital assistants
that simplify processes and increase productivity.
Seeger wrote that Lehmann had positioned Mercedes-Benz as a
benchmark in artificial intelligence, including through the group-wide rollout
of Microsoft Copilot for around 90,000 employees and the creation of a
dedicated organisation for AI, data and cybersecurity topics.
Why does the board structure matter now?
Lehmann’s departure comes during a phase of deep
organisational change at Mercedes-Benz. In March 2026, the carmaker combined
Human Relations and IT in the new board division “People & Enterprise
Tech”. Britta Seeger, already responsible for HR, also took over responsibility
for group IT and became the CIO’s direct superior.
According to Mercedes-Benz, the new structure is intended to
accelerate digital transformation by bringing people, technology, processes and
data closer together. A particular focus lies on expanding digital skills and
using AI productively.
At the same time, major transformation projects are still
running. These include the replacement of legacy systems, a comprehensive SAP
transformation and the further expansion of cloud infrastructure. All of
these tasks will now move to the next CIO.
Where did Lehmann work before becoming CIO?
Before taking over as CIO in April 2024, Lehmann had been
Vice President IT Sales/Marketing & Home of Tech at Mercedes-Benz since
2023. In that role, she was responsible for the digitalisation of sales,
marketing and aftersales processes.
Her career began at SAP. In the internal letter, Seeger also
referred to Lehmann’s leadership approach, which was shaped by the three
principles “Transparency, Trust and Teamwork”. She also highlighted Lehmann’s
commitment to supporting women and girls in IT and STEM professions, saying
that this had inspired many employees. Mercedes-Benz says the CIO position will
be advertised shortly and that the decision will be made according to the
“best-fit principle”. One possible candidate could be Rouven Rüdenauer, who
took over as CIO of Mercedes-Benz Vans last year.
