KTM poaches former BMW Motorrad tech guru Christof Lischka
KTM has appointed former BMW Motorrad development boss Christof Lischka as its new head of technology and product, completing a reshaped executive board as it pushes ahead with its 2026 recovery.
Big changes are afoot at KTM in 2026, with bikes once again beginning to roll out of the factory and into the hands of customers around the world. It’s also a change of faces behind the scenes, with one of KTM’s most prominent new signings being Christof Lischka, the man previously responsible for product development at BMW Motorrad.
According to Motorcycle.com, Lischka will now take over as KTM’s head of technology and product, and he joins Stephan Reiff, the former VP of BMW Motorrad, at the Austrian brand.
Lischka was a long-term employee of BMW, with more than 20 years at the group. Most recently, he was responsible for “Requirements, Concepts and Integration” in the Driving Dynamics division, going on to be the head of BMW Motorrad Development in 2019.
Lischka’s CV and personal life before moving into engineering seem like a perfect fit for the Austrian brand. A BMX racer from the age of eight, he later went on to motocross and enduro, where he, according to the BMW website, achieved many successes, including winning the “Accept No Limits” event and finishing runner-up in the “Master of Dirt” competitions. In 2003 and 2018, Lischka also managed to finish in the demanding “Roof of Africa” rally.
Lischka's arrival completes KTM AG's executive board line-up. From October, the firm's top table will consist of CEO Gottfried Neumeister, CFO Petra Preining, CCO Stephan Reiff and CTPO Christof Lischka, while Neumeister and Preining will remain at the helm of parent company Bajaj Mobility AG.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
