Porsche 918 hypercar engineer becomes new Bentley boss

Frank-Steffen Walliser is leaving his post at Porsche to take on the position of chairman and CEO of Bentley from July 1.

Mr Walliser is an experienced engineer, having taken over management of Porsche’s 911 and 718 product lines in 2019, and later being put in charge of overall vehicle development in 2022.

He’ll be taking over from Adrian Hallmark, who departed Bentley to become the CEO of Aston Martin earlier this year.

After studying mechanical engineering with a focus on combustion engines and technology management, Mr Walliser joined Porsche in 1995 where he has remained ever since.

In 2010 he became the overall project leader responsible for the development of the Porsche 918 hypercar, followed by a move to become the brand’s head of motorsport in 2014.

Mr Walliser said he’s keen to take on new challenges at Bentley, and expected the brand would continue to set standards for luxury cars in the future.

“I am approaching this job with great respect and looking forward to having a team in Crewe that has shown impressive performance over the last few years,” Mr Walliser said.

“The continuing transformation of the automotive industry will be a major task for Bentley as well, a task that I am happy to take on with this team.”

Bentley and Porsche are both under the broader Volkswagen Group umbrella, and their collaborations have included sharing the MSB platform that underpins individual models like Porsche’s Panamera and Bentley’s Continental and Flying Spur.

Volkswagen Group Board of Management member Gernot Döllner, who heads the Brand Group Progressive that includes Bentley, Audi, and Lamborghini, said the British luxury manufacturer was fortunate to be gaining the services of an experienced engineer like Mr Walliser.

“On Bentley’s ongoing path toward becoming the leading provider in the luxury segment, Frank-Steffen Walliser’s many years of experience and knowledge of the luxury segment will be invaluable,” he said.

Bentley is busy on the path to electrification, rolling out plug-in hybrids ahead of plans to go electric-only by 2033. It’ll reveal its first electric vehicle (EV) towards the end of 2026.

The brand had previously planned to go EV-only by 2030, but outgoing CEO Adrian Hallmark blamed technical issues and not slowing EV demand for the delay.

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