Vincent Charles to Become New Head of Group Communications; Birgit Hiller to Switch Industries

Hanover, Germany, March 14, 2025. Vincent Charles (41) will become head of Group Communications at Continental effective May 1, 2025. Charles, previously head of Media Relations and deputy head of communications, will succeed Birgit Hiller (49), who is leaving the company at her own request to take on a leadership role in another industry. The transition in communications leadership at the DAX40 company will thus proceed seamlessly.

Continental CEO Nikolai Setzer:

I would like to thank Birgit Hiller for her outstanding achievements. With foresight, pragmatism and empathy, she has realigned Continental’s communications together with her team and safeguarded and strengthened the company’s reputation in challenging times. I wish her all the very best for the future. At the same time, I look forward to working even more closely with Vincent Charles, whom I have long known and valued as a communications professional and leader.

Vincent Charles:

Continental is realigning itself. I look forward to shaping communication at the group level during this key period. Alongside my colleagues in communications worldwide, we will continue to pursue the established communications strategy, thereby strengthening trust in Continental’s strategy and future among our internal and external stakeholders. Birgit Hiller is an outstanding communicator, and I’m very grateful for the professional and personal bond we have formed.

Birgit Hiller:

I would like to sincerely thank my colleagues and the Continental Executive Board for our trustful working relationship. With my esteemed colleague Vincent Charles, the team and task are in the best hands. I will oversee another important milestone in Continental’s transformation – the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting at the end of April. After that, I will leave the automotive sector to focus on a completely different industry.

Vincent Charles, who has a degree in communications and media studies, joined Continental at the end of 2007. He held various positions in marketing and strategy in the current Automotive group sector before switching to Group Communications in Hanover in 2011, where he worked as spokesperson for both technology and finance. Charles has been head of Media Relations since September 2016.

Birgit Hiller took over as head of Group Communications at Continental on September 1, 2021. Before joining Continental, she spent 18 years at the BMW Group, holding various communication roles and, most recently, was responsible for global internal corporate communications as well as press and public relations for production plants worldwide.