Skip to main content
C
CorpDigest
Search

Bentley Motors

Automotive / LuxuryFounded 1919
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Leadership History

Bentley Motors: CEO History

5 leaders · 2002 to present

Who is the CEO of Bentley Motors?

Frank-Steffen Walliser is the CEO of Bentley Motors, in the role since 2024. The first chief executive was Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen, from 2002.

Current CEO
Frank-Steffen Walliser (since 2024)
First CEO
Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen (2002)
Leaders documented
5
Founded
1919
NameRoleFromToYears in role
Dr. Frank-Steffen WalliserChairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer2024Present2
Adrian HallmarkChairman & CEO (2018-2024)201820246
Wolfgang DürheimerChairman & CEO (2011-2012, 2014-2018)201420184
Dr. Wolfgang SchreiberChairman & CEO (2012-2014)201220142
Dr. Franz-Josef PaefgenChairman & CEO (2002-2011)200220119
Who was CEO of Bentley Motors before Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser?
Adrian Hallmark was CEO of Bentley Motors from 2018 to 2024, before Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser took over in 2024.

Company Overview

Bentley Motors is the Volkswagen Group's British luxury brand, building every car at Pyms Lane in Crewe with around 4,000 employees. It occupies the grand touring middle ground: large, heavily equipped cars that can cross a continent quickly, sold through 229 retail partners in 61 markets. The current range is the Continental GT and GTC, the Flying Spur, the Bentayga and, from 2027, the electric Torcal, all of them hand-trimmed in leather and wood at Crewe on platforms shared with Porsche and Audi. The company is headquartered in Crewe, England. The pinnacle of British automotive luxury traces its origins back to London, United Kingdom in 1919, eventually being absorbed by the massive Volkswagen Group to become its flagship ultra-premium brand.

Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser

Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer

2024 – Present

2 years (current)

Key Decisions & Impact

Moved from Porsche, where he had run Motorsport, the 918 Spyder programme, the 911 and 718 model lines and latterly overall vehicle development, and became Chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors on 1 July 2024, succeeding Adrian Hallmark. In November 2024 he extended the Beyond100 plan to Beyond100+, pushing the all-electric target from 2030 to 2035 and committing to a new plug-in hybrid or electric model every year; in 2026 he dropped the fixed date entirely while launching the brand's first electric car. He also signed off the organisational review announced in March 2026 that removes up to 275 indirect roles.

Legacy

Oversaw the switch from the W12 to the 782 PS Ultra Performance V8 hybrid across the Continental GT and Flying Spur, the reveal of the electric Torcal in September 2026, and the Crewe rebuild that includes the Design Centre opened in July 2025, the A1 electric assembly building and a new paint shop.

Source →

Adrian Hallmark

Chairman & CEO (2018-2024)

2018 – 2024

6 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Became Chairman and CEO on 1 February 2018, having earlier been Bentley's board member for sales and marketing. He inherited a business that lost ~$325 million (288 million euros) at operating level in 2018 on the Continental GT changeover, cut costs, widened the Bentayga range with hybrid and extended-wheelbase versions, expanded Mulliner into Coachbuilt, Collections and Classic portfolios, launched the Beyond100 strategy in 2020 and decided to end W12 production.

Legacy

Took Bentley to a record operating profit of ~$800 million (708 million euros) on revenue of ~$3.82 billion (3.38 billion euros) in 2022 and ~$666 million (589 million euros) in 2023, then left in 2024 to become chief executive of Aston Martin.

Source →

Wolfgang Dürheimer

Chairman & CEO (2011-2012, 2014-2018)

2014 – 2018

4 years

Key Decisions & Impact

First took charge of Bentley in 2011 alongside Bugatti, left in September 2012 for technical development at Audi AG, and returned as Chairman and CEO on 1 June 2014. He drove the decision to build Bentley's first SUV, shown as the EXP 9 F concept in 2012 and restyled before the Bentayga reached production in 2015. He stepped down on 1 February 2018.

Legacy

Signed off the Bentayga, which has been Bentley's best-selling model since launch and accounted for 44 per cent of sales in 2023.

Source →

Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber

Chairman & CEO (2012-2014)

2012 – 2014

2 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Ran Bentley Motors as Chairman and CEO from 1 September 2012 while also serving as president of Bugatti, having previously led Bugatti development and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. He steered the engineering work on the SUV programme and the second-generation Flying Spur before moving to another Volkswagen Group role in June 2014.

Legacy

Carried the Bentayga programme through its development phase after the EXP 9 F concept was redesigned.

Source →

Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen

Chairman & CEO (2002-2011)

2002 – 2011

9 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Came from Audi to run Bentley, and for part of his tenure Bugatti, after Volkswagen's purchase of Crewe. He oversaw the 2003 Continental GT, the car that took Bentley from a few hundred to more than 10,000 sales a year, the works Le Mans programme that produced the 2003 win, and the Mulsanne launched for the company's ninetieth anniversary in 2009.

Legacy

Turned Bentley from a maker of a few hundred hand-built saloons into a volume luxury brand built around the Continental GT.

Source →

Challenges & Strategic Context

Bentley has to replace the engines that defined it. The 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12, built at Crewe from 2003, was discontinued in July 2024 after more than 100,000 units, and the Continental GT and Flying Spur now sell only with the 782 PS Ultra Performance V8 plug-in hybrid. Demand has also weakened: deliveries fell to 10,131 cars in 2025, driven by market contraction in China, and reported operating profit dropped to ~$244 million (216 million euros), hit by charges tied to the Volkswagen Group decision to discontinue a D-segment platform, United States tariffs and currency effects. Bentley said in March 2026 that up to 275 indirect roles would be removed. The electric transition itself has slipped twice, from an all-electric range by 2030 to 2035 and then to no fixed date, while Rolls-Royce, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Porsche compete for the same buyers.

Bentley Motors CEO and Leadership FAQ

Who is Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser and when did he become Bentley CEO?

Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser became Chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors on 1 July 2024. A mechanical engineer, he spent his earlier career at Porsche leading Motorsport, the 918 Spyder programme, the 911 and 718 model lines and then overall vehicle development.

What were Adrian Hallmark's major achievements as Bentley CEO from 2018 to 2024?

Adrian Hallmark ran Bentley from February 2018 to 2024. He turned an operating loss of ~$325 million (288 million euros) in 2018 into a record ~$800 million (708 million euro) operating profit in 2022 and ~$666 million (589 million euros) in 2023, launched the Beyond100 strategy and ended W12 production.

Who was Wolfgang Dürheimer and what was his contribution to Bentley?

Wolfgang Dürheimer was Chairman and CEO of Bentley from 2011 to September 2012 and again from June 2014 to February 2018. He pushed through the company's first SUV, shown as the EXP 9 F concept in 2012 and restyled before the Bentayga launched in 2015.

Who was Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen and how did he reshape modern Bentley?

Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen served as CEO of Bentley from 2002 to 2011, overseeing the development and global rollout of the major Continental GT, the 2003 Le Mans victory with the Bentley Speed 8, and the launch of the flagship Bentley Mulsanne.

Who was Walter Owen (W. O.) Bentley and what was his founding philosophy?

Walter Owen Bentley founded Bentley Motors in 1919 with the simple engineering mission: 'To build a fast car, a good car, the best in its class.' An exceptional engine designer, he pioneered aluminum pistons during World War I before applying them to race-winning road cars.

Who was Woolf Barnato and how did he save Bentley in the 1920s?

Woolf Barnato was a diamond heir, Le Mans winner in 1928 and 1929 and the best known of the Bentley Boys. He funded the company and served as its managing director from 1926 to 1931, financing the racing programme until the Depression forced Bentley into receivership.

How did Bentley's leadership handle the transition into the Volkswagen Group in 1998?

Following Volkswagen's acquisition of the Crewe factory and Bentley brand from Vickers in 1998 under Ferdinand Piëch, executive leadership invested over $660 million (£500 million) into modernizing Crewe and engineering the W12 powertrain, revitalizing the marque.

What is CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser's mandate for Bentley's next era?

Walliser's immediate task is the launch of the Torcal, Bentley's first electric car, revealed in September 2026 with deliveries from 2027, alongside the Ultra Performance Hybrid range, the Crewe site rebuild and the efficiency programme announced in March 2026 that removes up to 275 indirect roles.

Who is the CEO of Bentley?

Adrian Hallmark served as CEO (before leaving for Aston Martin), famously executing the "Beyond100" strategy to transition Bentley entirely to electric vehicles by 2030.

Related Companies

Ferrari N.V.

Compare Bentley Motors Leadership With Competitors

Bentley Motors vs Ferrari N.V. Leadership →Overview

Related Leadership Timelines

Compare executive leadership tenures and strategic transitions

Competitor

Ferrari N.V.

View Leadership Timelines
Competitor

Porsche

View Leadership Timelines
Competitor

Lamborghini

View Leadership Timelines
Competitor

Mercedes Benz

View Leadership Timelines
Competitor

Bmw

View Leadership Timelines

Explore Bentley Motors

Core profile pages, founders and related research hubs for this company.

Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.