Ionity COO Marcus Groll to depart the company

Marcus Groll is leaving the fast-charging joint venture Ionity after almost seven years. The Ionity COO announced his departure himself on LinkedIn. CEO Michael Hajesch had already left Ionity in mid-May.

Ionity operates a fast-charging network for electric cars along European motorways. It was founded in 2017, making Marcus Groll one of the very first Ionity managers. “As I embark on a new chapter, I plan to dedicate time to my family and myself. I am excited to remain part of the e-mobility community and contribute to the ongoing evolution towards electric mobility,” the company COO wrote on Linkedin on his departure.

CEO Michael Hajesch had already left the company unexpectedly in mid-May. He was succeeded by Jeroen van Tilburg, who had previously been responsible for Tesla’s charging business in Europe. It is not yet known who will succeed Marcus Groll as COO. What is clear, however, is that Groll’s departure completes the upheaval in the management of Ionity GmbH. Only CFO Torsten Kiedel, who himself only joined the company in February 2024, remains on the board. In short, the first generation of managers will no longer be on board.

“I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all current and former IONITY colleagues, notably Michael Hajesch, Bernd E. and also the Ionity shareholders, for the exceptional collaboration during this time,” says Groll, who also lists his successes and milestones during his time as a manager in his message. He had already spoken about these as a speaker at electrive LIVE.

An official announcement regarding Groll’s departure from Ionity is not yet known. However, when Hejesch left, the company also linked the official announcement with the introduction of his successor, Jeroen van Tilburg. Specific reasons for the departure of the first and so far only Ionity CEO Hajesch were not given at the time.

Ionity currently operates over 669 charging parks in 24 European countries with more than 4,224 fast-charging points. The company was founded in 2017 as a joint venture between BMW, Ford, Mercedes and the VW Group (represented by Audi and Porsche). Hyundai and BlackRock’s Climate Infrastructure Platform are now also among the shareholders as financial investors.

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