Dr. Ulf Ausprung is a Partner at Executive Interim Partners GmbH. He has more than 25 years of leadership experience as CEO, Managing Director and Board Member in the international automotive industry and specializes in turnaround, business model transformation, and the development and scaling of sales and retail organizations. He takes on mandates at the interface between OEMs, retail and ownership interests in corporate, family-owned and shareholder-driven structures across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Most recently, he served for more than 13 years as Chief Executive Officer of Han Sung Motor Company in Seoul, Korea’s leading Mercedes-Benz retail organization (~USD 3.4 billion revenue, ~3,000 employees). Under his leadership, the company multiplied its vehicle sales and after-sales volume and maintained clear market leadership with a market share of around 50%. In Korea’s digitally highly demanding market, he drove forward the digitalization of sales and the business model, prepared the organization for the agency model and the EV transition, and – as the Korean project partner – was responsible for the collaboration with BYD on its market entry into Korea.
As a Board Member of Lei Shing Hong Auto International Ltd., Hong Kong, the world’s largest Mercedes-Benz dealer group (~230,000 new vehicle sales p.a.), he shared strategic responsibility for the business in Asia, Europe and Australia.
As Chief Executive Officer of the Mercedes-Benz wholesale and retail organization in the Gulf region (Bahrain/Dubai), he was responsible for the turnaround of the importer and retail business, returning it to profitable growth and establishing new business lines in leasing, finance and fleet operation.
In an earlier role, he helped shape the market entry of the Mercedes-Benz Car Group into China as a member of the core strategy team. He further led as Managing Director Chrysler & Jeep and Board Member of DaimlerChrysler Schweiz AG the multi-brand business, including its post-merger integration. He was furthermore responsible for the greenfield build-up of the smart organizations in Switzerland and Austria and, as acting Co-CEO, for the brand’s market entry into China.
His professional focus lies on the adaptation of business models and distribution structures as well as the development and optimization of large-scale retail networks. Dr. Ausprung is an expert in automotive retail, OEMs & importers, electric vehicle introduction & market build-up as well as aftermarket and mobility in general.
Dr. Ausprung earned his doctorate in microeconomics from the Technical University of Stuttgart, where he had previously studied technology-oriented business administration, and completed a CAS program (Certificate of Advanced Studies) in Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology and Data Science at ETH Zurich. He also taught as a Visiting Professor at the renowned Yonsei University in Seoul (2016–2025; marketing & branding, sustainability).
