Background
Paefgen, Franz-Josef was born on May 10, 1946 in Büttgen, Germany.
Paefgen, Franz-Josef was born on May 10, 1946 in Büttgen, Germany.
Student, University Kaslsruhe, Germany. Doctor Mechanical Engineering and Economics, University Aachen, Germany.
Doctor-Ing. In 1976, Paefgen earned a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen University. He was most recently the Chief Executive Officer of Bentley Motors and Bugatti Automobiles SAS, from which he retired in 2011. Prior to the roles at Bentley and Bugatti, Doctor Paefgen held several positions at Ford Motor Company and Audi where he also served as Chief Executive Officer. During his time as the Chief Executive Officer of Bentley Motors Limited., he was responsible for the Bentley Mulsanne and the Bentley Continental series of cars.
From 2003 to 2005, Doctor Paefgen was responsible for the development of the Bugatti Veyron.
Since departing from Bentley and Bugatti, Doctor Paefgen has accepted a position of a Board Member at the Finnish automotive company Valmet Automotive.
He also serves as a member of the supervisory board of German automotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen AG.