Claudia Malkus, currently Director of the “Business Division Battery Production” and Head of “Strategy and Performance Management”, will take over as Head of Production and Site of the Mercedes‑Benz plant in Düsseldorf on October 1, 2025. She will thus succeed Michael Hellmann, who will leave the company to take on new challenges.
„I would like to thank Michael Hellmann for his excellent cooperation and his commitment to the Mercedes‑Benz star over the past 37 years. He has always led his team with confidence, regardless of the challenges, and kept the plant on course even in turbulent times. We wish him all the best for his future endeavors. With Claudia Malkus, we gain an excellent successor. Due to her extensive knowledge and global experience in manufacturing roles such as body shop, paint shop and in powertrain, I am confident that she will lead the Düsseldorf plant into a successful future.”
Francesco Ciancia, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans Global Operations
Claudia Malkus began her professional career at Mercedes-Benz in 2012 in Hamburg as a planning engineer for light weight construction technologies.
After various positions in the powertrain division, she transitioned to the Mercedes-Benz Compact Cars division in 2018, and among other things, led production in the body shop and paint shop at the Mercedes-Benz passenger car plant in Aguascalientes in Mexico.
In 2023, she returned to Stuttgart to take over the management of the battery production network in Europe, including the battery recycling plant in Kuppenheim. Since January of this year, she has also been responsible for “Strategy and Performance Management” in the Mercedes‑Benz Cars production network.
As Head of Production and Site of the Mercedes‑Benz Düsseldorf plant, Claudia Malkus will be responsible for the operational management of the Sprinter plant.
In her new role, she will drive further development at the site and ensure the smooth start of vehicle production based on the new Mercedes‑Benz Van Architecture.