The BMW Group has introduced one other management reshuffle at MINI, marking the model’s third change on the prime in simply over a 12 months. Efficient October 1, 2025, Jean-Philippe Parain will turn out to be Head of MINI, succeeding Stefan Richmann, who strikes into a brand new position as Head of Treasury and Investor Relations at BMW Group.
Jean-Philippe Ache Steps in
Parain isn’t any stranger to BMW or MINI. Since becoming a member of BMW France in 1997, he has constructed a profession spanning practically three many years with the corporate. His expertise consists of stints as President and CEO of BMW Group Belux, Head of MINI Europe, and Head of Gross sales Area Europe. Most not too long ago, he has been chargeable for the huge Gross sales Area overlaying Asia-Pacific, Jap Europe, the Center East, and Africa, the place MINI and BMW achieved important development and reached premium phase management.
Stefan Richmann Strikes to Finance
The transfer sees Stefan Richmann depart MINI after solely a 12 months on the helm. Taking up in August 2024, Richmann guided the model by means of a interval of sturdy momentum. Gross sales climbed round 25% by August 2025 in comparison with the earlier 12 months, with MINI’s new all-electric fashions driving a lot of that development. Regardless of his quick tenure, Richmann presided over an important section: the rollout of the all-new MINI lineup. That included the 3-Door Hatch in each gasoline and EV variations, the brand new Countryman with an all-electric possibility, and the debut of the AcemanMINI’s first EV-only mannequin. Excessive-performance John Cooper Works (JCW) variants have additionally joined the refreshed household.
Richmann, who started his profession at BMW Group in 1997, will now return to the corporate’s finance aspect, bringing with him expertise as CFO in the USA and as Head of Company Technique. It’s unclear whether or not Richmann had time to finalize the following product technique which ought to roll-out after 2030.
One other Sudden Shift at MINI
The shuffle continues a interval of instability at MINI’s prime ranks. Richmann himself changed Stefanie Wurstwho stepped down in July 2024 after simply two years as model head. Wurst’s departure was equally surprising, regardless of her main MINI by means of the launch of its new era of automobiles. Parain’s problem can be to stabilize MINI’s management whereas capitalizing on this momentum, guaranteeing the model’s character and enchantment stay sturdy amid the BMW Group’s broader push towards electrification and premium positioning.
It stays unclear whether or not MINI will finally transfer to BMW’s Neue Klasse platform. Such a shift would mark the top of front-wheel-drive electrical MINIs, since Neue Klasse fashions are designed round a rear-mounted motor as normal. On the identical time, questions stay about the way forward for the FAAR structure, which underpins MINI’s present gasoline-powered, front-wheel-drive fashions.
