Daimler Truck will have a new human resources director in October: Yvonne Bettkober. She is leaving Audi with immediate effect, where she was previously head of the transformation, consulting and organization department. Bettkober takes over the position of Human Resources Director from Jürgen Hardwig. After more than 30 years at Daimler Truck, he is leaving the company at his own request in November and is preparing the handover until then.
Bettkober led company-wide efficiency and organizational transformation programs at Audi. She started at Audi last year during a restructuring phase in which costs had to be reduced and productivity and innovation had to be increased, according to the car maker. After her departure, Daniel Kauer, Head of General Secretariat and Corporate Strategy, will take over the position on an interim basis until a successor is found.
Bettkober’s HR approach
Bettkober would like to focus on the following guidelines in her new role: “For me, transformation means, above all, enabling adaptability. In an increasingly volatile and complex global environment, ambitious goals require an organization that combines innovation, speed, performance orientation and consistent implementation.”
Before her time at Audi, she spent 13 years in director positions, particularly in sales, at the tech giant Microsoft and almost four years as General Manager Switzerland and Austria at Amazon Web Services. Before moving to Audi, she worked at the Volkswagen Group’s software subsidiary Cariad as Head of Transformation – President from 2023 to 2025.
Daimler Truck: Location opening despite slump in profits
Like German car manufacturers in general, Daimler Truck is also recording declining numbers. Just two weeks ago, the company announced that its 2025 profit had fallen by 34 percent. Last year, the car manufacturer opened a new location in Halberstadt. The aim is to focus more on the delivery of spare parts.
The decision is based on the fact that the vehicles are currently being driven for longer, which means that sales of new vehicles are declining. However, the associated wear and tear increases the demand for spare parts.
There are currently 100 employees working at the new location in Halberstadt and the number is expected to increase to 600. In total, more than 100,000 employees work at Daimler Truck at over 40 locations worldwide.
Tonia Schöler is a volunteer at Human Resources.
