Audi Financial Managers Complete Training

With a festive graduation ceremony, AUDI AG just marked the completion of a second in-house training course for Audi financial managers. The twelve new financial managers will now be sent out to the dealerships. The participants in the novel training program, initiated by AUDI AG together with its dealers, were presented with their certificates at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt following a one-year training course and a final examination.

“With this training program, we intend to thoroughly train the financial managers of the Audi dealerships in the financial management of their company”, said Bernd Appel, Head of Dealer Financing at AUDI AG. This activity he described as essential for improving the dealers’ profitability. Also with regard to increasing information requirements of Germany’s financial institutions, a comprehensively qualified financial manager with excellent communication skills are indispensable, he said. “Today, the chief financial officer holds a key role in the company, “Our training course arranges the expertise for profit-, balance sheet- and liquidity planning as well as for a secured business forecast.

Tailored to the specific needs of dealerships, the advanced training course to become an Audi financial manager was developed by Bernd Appel and Uwe Schröder of the Audi Management Institute in 2006. The program consists of a total of six modules which the participants must complete within twelve months: “Accounting and Accounting Policy,” “Information and Risk Management,” “Financial and Liquidity Management,” “Credit Rating Management,” “Planning, Controlling and Management” and “Taxes.” Program participants graduate as Audi financial manager at the end of a one-year training program after successfully passing a written and oral final examination.

Proprietors, chief executive officers and financial managers interested in participating in the next course starting in late April should apply right away as the number of participants is limited to 15. Precondition: a completed commercial apprenticeship or several years of professional experience in a comparable position.

AUDI AG sold a total of 964,151 cars in 2007 and thus achieved its twelfth consecutive record year. With revenue of €33,617 million and profit before tax of €2,915 million, the company attained its best figures ever. Audi produces vehicles in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm (Germany), Györ (Hungary), Changchun (China) and Brussels (Belgium). At the end of 2007, production of the Audi A6 started in Aurangabad, India. The company is active in more than 100 markets worldwide. AUDI AG’s wholly owned subsidiaries include Automobili Lamborghini Hoolding S.p.A. in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy, and quattro GmbH in Neckarsulm. Audi employs about 54,000 people worldwide, including 45,000 in Germany. The brand with the four rings invests more than € 2 billion each year in order to sustain the company’s technological lead embodied in its “Vorsprung durch Technik” slogan. Audi plans to significantly increase the number of models in its portfolio by 2015, from the 26 currently on offer to 40.