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Mercedes-Benz reshapes procurement and supply chain leadership with von Roy-Jiang and Choritz appointments effective 2026
Mercedes-Benz Group AG has implemented senior leadership changes across procurement, supplier quality and supply chain operations, appointing Yanni von Roy-Jiang to lead procurement from January 1 and naming Stefanie Choritz as her successor in supply chain operations from April.
Yanni von Roy-Jiang, previously Mercedes-Benz’s head of operations supply chain, assumed responsibility for procurement and supplier quality on January 1, 2026, succeeding Gunnar Güthenke, who has held the role since July 2019. The company said von Roy-Jiang and Güthenke will work together until February 2026 to ensure an orderly transition of responsibilities.
Meanwhile, effective April 1, 2026, Stefanie Choritz, currently head of finance and controlling for top-end vehicles and Mercedes-AMG, will take over von Roy-Jiang’s former role as head of operations supply chain, completing a two-stage leadership handover at the German carmaker.
Leadership transition timelines
| Date | Leadership transition |
|---|---|
| 1 January 2026 | Yanni von Roy-Jiang becomes head of procurement and supplier quality, succeeding Gunnar Güthenke |
| Until February 2026 | Von Roy-Jiang and Güthenke jointly manage the handover of procurement and supplier quality |
| 1 April 2026 | Stefanie Choritz takes over as head of operations supply chain, succeeding von Roy-Jiang |
Executive backgrounds
Von Roy-Jiang joined Mercedes-Benz in October 2025. Prior to that, she served as COO and board member at automotive supplier Webasto between 2022 and 2025, having previously led Webasto’s global purchasing and supplier quality functions from 2020 to 2022. Her move into procurement and supplier quality places supplier management and sourcing under the leadership of an executive with recent tier-supplier experience.
Choritz is a long-standing Mercedes-Benz executive, having joined the company in 2005. Before becoming CFO of Mercedes-AMG and head of finance and controlling for top-end vehicles, she held several senior roles, including head of production control from 2022 to 2025 and senior manager for controlling research and development earlier in her career. From April, she will assume responsibility for end-to-end supply chain operations.
Strategic context
Mercedes-Benz said the appointments support its broader strategic priorities. In an official announcement, chairman of the management board Ola Källenius said the leadership changes would “further sharpen our shared focus on customer value, technological excellence and operational efficiency”.
While the statement addressed multiple executive moves across the group, the emphasis on operational efficiency and customer value underscores the importance of procurement discipline, supplier quality and supply chain reliability as Mercedes-Benz continues to navigate an increasingly complex manufacturing and sourcing environment.
The company added that it would provide further information on Gunnar Güthenke’s future role in due course, signalling continuity within its senior management team.
