GKN Automotive has announced four appointments to its executive team, including a new CEO.

Markus Bannert has stepped into the role of CEO, replacing Liam Butterworth who has moved into a new role as CEO of Dowlais Group plc. Bannert was previously president of Driveline at GKN Automotive. Before joining the business four years ago, he held a variety of positions at automotive supplier Hella, including CEO of its lighting division, chief financial officer for the company’s NAFTA region, as well as head of program management and plant manager within the lighting division. 

As part of a recent move by GKN Automotive to create two new functional arms of the business - operations and engineering - Dr. Dirk Kesselgruber has been appointed chief technology officer. In this newly created role, he will lead the engineering and program management arm of the business and oversee the company’s comprehensive product portfolio. Kesselgruber was previously president of ePowertrain at GKN Automotive for more than two years; prior to that, he was president chassis systems at Schaeffler and senior vice president of global steering engineering at ZF Group.

Sean Bannon will join the company as chief financial officer on May 22, replacing Roberto Fioroni, who has moved into the role of CFO at Dowlais Group plc. Sean has 25 years of experience in financial and international leadership roles, most recently at Amcor, a global packaging producer, where he has driven business transformation efforts as the vice president of finance and information technology within its European Flexible Packaging business. Previously, Bannon held a variety of financial roles at Trinseo and Air Products and Chemicals. He holds an MBA from Cornell University, is a licensed CPA, and is a CFA charter holder.

Piyush Upadhyay was recently appointed chief human resources officer for the company. With more than 25 years of experience, he joined GKN Automotive in December 2022 and brings a wealth of global experience in HR and organizational transformation. He previously worked at Tenneco Automotive, where he was the executive director (EMEA) for the company’s Clean Air division. Upadhyay has held various roles in other global organizations, including the Tata Group and Volkswagen in India.

Markus Bannert, CEO of GKN Automotive, comments: “GKN Automotive is an incredible company with a rich history in developing leading technologies, building scale and operational excellence, and maintaining strong customer relationships with most global OEMs. Having spent over four years embedded in the business, I have been impressed by its capabilities as an engineering powerhouse at the forefront of innovation.

“Now is a truly exciting time for the business as we leverage our global leadership in driveline products and build on our capability to develop and deliver e-drive systems and components. We already have a comprehensive product portfolio that has evolved for electric platforms, as well as a strong R&D footprint that has enabled us to be a pioneer in the e-drive market for over 20 years, so I’m delighted to take on the role of CEO, working alongside our accomplished executive team to continue our electrification journey.”

gknautomotive.com