Effective October 1, Dr. Ismail Dagli, aged 48, is set to assume the leadership role of Continental’s Autonomous Mobility business area, succeeding Frank Petznick, who has chosen to depart from the company at the end of September.
Dr. Ismail Dagli has been heading Continental’s Smart Mobility business area since the beginning of 2022, overseeing business operations related to mobility services, fleet operators, and commercial vehicle manufacturers within the Automotive group sector. With a background in computer science and a doctorate in artificial intelligence for autonomous driving, Dagli began his career in 2005 as a development engineer specializing in advanced driver assistance and active safety systems at Daimler. In 2008, he transitioned to Bosch, where he held various management positions in Germany and the United States. In 2020, Dagli joined Continental, initially taking charge of research and development within the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems business unit. Following the restructuring of the Automotive group sector in early 2022, this business unit was integrated into the Autonomous Mobility business area, which Dr. Dagli is now set to lead.
Philipp von Hirschheydt, a member of Continental’s Executive Board and head of the Automotive group sector, expressed confidence in Dr. Dagli’s leadership abilities, highlighting his international management experience and extensive knowledge of automated and autonomous driving technologies. The company aims to further enhance and expand its market position in the Autonomous Mobility sector under Dr. Dagli’s leadership, emphasizing a partner-focused business strategy.
Continental sees significant growth opportunities in systems and components within the autonomous mobility sector, with radar sensors, in particular, attracting substantial global interest. The company has secured orders for satellites and premium radars from a renowned automaker and envisions additional potential in parking features.
Continental’s partner-centric approach has garnered interest from customers seeking scalable, high-performance systems developed in collaboration with Continental’s partner Ambarella. Additionally, Continental’s partnership with Aurora involves the supply of the complete hardware kit and fallback system by the Autonomous Mobility business area.
The company expressed gratitude to Frank Petznick for his contributions over the past three years, during which Continental became one of the few full-range suppliers in advanced driver assistance systems and automated and autonomous driving, thanks in part to strategic partnerships with Ambarella, Horizon Robotics, and Aurora.
Frank Petznick assumed leadership of the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems business area at Continental in August 2020, having previously served as a member of the Electronics Executive Board at Hella, overseeing the global Automated Driving Product Center. Prior to his role at Hella, Petznick held positions at Bertrandt AG and Volkswagen AG.
