Dr.-Ing. Franz-Josef Paefgen[1] is a German engineer and manager. In 1976, Paefgen earned a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the RWTH Aachen University[2]. He was most recently the CEO of Bentley Motors[3] and Bugatti Automobiles SAS[4], from which he retired in 2011.[5]
Prior to the roles at Bentley and Bugatti, Dr Paefgen held several positions at Ford Motor Company and Audi where he also served as CEO.[6]
During his time as the Chief Executive Officer of Bentley Motors Ltd., he was responsible for the Bentley Mulsanne[7] and the Bentley Continental[8] series of cars. From 2003 to 2005, Dr. Paefgen was responsible for the development of the Bugatti Veyron[9].
Since departing from Bentley and Bugatti, Dr Paefgen has accepted a position of a Board Member at the Finnish automotive company Valmet Automotive.[10]