Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, February 2026 — Metair Investments Limited has announced the appointment of Gerhard Braun as Chief Operating Officer – Retail Division. Based in Johannesburg, Gerhard will lead the retail division’s operational agenda, strengthening execution excellence, commercial performance, and scalable growth across Metair’s aftermarket and retail-facing businesses.
With extensive leadership experience across the global automotive ecosystem, including P&L ownership, regional transformation, and large-scale franchise and distribution operations, Gerhard brings a proven record of building high-performing teams, driving turnaround strategies, and delivering profitable growth.
In his new role at Metair Investments Limited, Gerhard Braun has taken on the responsibility of leading the company’s Retail Division as Chief Operating Officer, with a focus on operational performance, execution rigour, and strengthening customer-centric retail models within the broader automotive value chain.
Prior to joining Metair, Gerhard served with the ZF Group in South Africa for around two years, where he held the position of Managing Director. In this role, he expanded his mandate to take charge of a broader regional leadership scope across Africa, leading business growth, go-to-market execution, and transformation priorities in a highly competitive automotive landscape.
Before ZF, he spent close to four years with DRiV Incorporated, where he progressed into the role of Executive Director / Business Line Leader EMEA – Braking (Ferodo Brakes). He was responsible for strategy development and execution, people leadership across multi-country teams, and strong commercial and operational delivery — including P&L ownership, performance management through KPI scorecards, and initiatives such as restructuring programs and manufacturing footprint transitions.
Earlier, Gerhard built entrepreneurial expertise as an Automotive Franchise Owner at Midas Retail, where he restructured business workflows, accelerated sales strategy, and successfully doubled turnover within the first year before exiting the venture profitably.
He also spent nearly nine years with Motus Aftermarket Parts, where he held senior leadership roles including Franchise Director and earlier Sales Director, overseeing large franchise networks, driving revenue growth, strengthening franchise business models, and building robust franchisee and partner relationships across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Gerhard began his long leadership journey with Bosch Africa, where over nearly a decade, he moved through roles including Product & Key Account Manager and later Marketing Manager, developing strong foundations in aftermarket growth, product range campaigns, customer partnerships, and commercial execution.
Gerhard Braun holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Oxford Brookes University.
About Metair Investments Limited
Metair Investments Limited holds operations across South Africa, Turkey, Romania, the United Kingdom, and Kenya, manufacturing automotive components and energy storage products used in motor vehicles for automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), as well as for the aftermarket in local and international markets.
Metair’s mission is to create value for stakeholders by delivering quality, cost-competitive products through manufacturing, marketing, and logistical excellence, supported by technology-driven innovation. Its strategy focuses on diversification, sustainability, and balanced market representation, with R&D capabilities aligned to respond to emerging trends such as industrial and lithium-ion battery solutions and disruption from electric vehicles.
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