Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti Automobiles is also President and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. He became the President and CEO of Lamborghini on December 1, 2020, succeeding Stefano Domenicali.
Stephan began his career in 1991 at the German financial services provider MLP. However, only in 1993 he entered the automotive industry, working first in Munich as a sales representative for Mercedes-Benz. From 1994 to 2004 he worked for Fiat and Alfa Romeo, Lancia, and Fiat Professional, respectively.
He worked as head of Alfa Romeo Germany, then as head of marketing for Fiat's southern region. Over the years, he held many marketing and sales management positions and so once worked as Fiat's managing director for Austria and Switzerland.
In 2004, he came to Germany and held the position of CEO of Fiat Automobil AG.
In 2005, Stephan Winkelmann joined the Volkswagen Group and took over as President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini in Sant'Agata Bolognese.
Under his leadership at Lamborghini, the company saw the launch of the new Gallardo, Murciélago, Aventador, and Huracán models, and also Lamborghini developed the Urus SUV, which was launched in 2018.
Winkelmann is also credited for a 300 percent increase in the sale of Lamborghini vehicles, between the period 2005-2016.
From March 2016, he headed Quattro GmbH (now Audi Sport GmbH) as Managing Director (MD).
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Since January 1, 2018, Stephan Winkelmann has been president of Bugatti Automobiles, succeeding Wolfgang Dürheimer.
By 2020, the company announced that Stephan Winkelmann will take up the charge as head of Lamborghini along with his previous role at Bugatti. He also sits on the supervisory boards at Comité Colbert, an association of French luxury manufacturers, and Altagamma, an Italian committee for luxury brands.
In 2009, Stephan Winkelmann was awarded the decoration of Grand Officer in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, for his commitment to relaunching the Italian marque.
In 2014, he received the highest decoration in the Order of Merit of The Italian Republic, Knight Grand Cross.
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Born on October 18, 1964, Stephan Winkelmann did his schooling from a local German school. He received his Masters in Political Science from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. He served for two years in the paratroopers of the German Armed Forces in Calw, Nagold, and Altenstadt and reached the rank of lieutenant of the reserve.