Cerence Inc.  announced that as part of its ongoing transformation efforts, Chief Product Officer Nils Schanz has been appointed to an expanded leadership role. In addition to leading the company?s core product strategy, portfolio and global customer delivery as Chief Product Officer, Mr. Schanz will assume the responsibilities of Chief Technology Officer following the departure of Iqbal Arshad, effective July 5, 2024. In this expanded role, Mr. Schanz will now lead Cerence?s global technology, engineering, and product development organization, creating enhanced alignment across innovation, product, and customer delivery and further positioning Cerence to meet the current and future needs of its customers.

Mr. Schanz joined Cerence in October 2022 following a 15-year tenure at Mercedes-Benz AG and Daimler, where he developed the highly regarded MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience), the automaker?s intuitive, high-tech multimedia system, and launched other widely acclaimed innovations such as the award-winning MBUX Hyperscreen and the Voice Assistant ?Hey Mercedes.? As Global Head of User Interaction & Voice Control, he led a cross-functional team with global responsibility for digital user interface and user experience. Mr. Schanz previously held a variety of positions at Daimler and Mercedes-Benz in R&D, Product Management, and Marketing.