PhD in Mechanical Engineering. Expert in electric mobility. Spent the past 20 years at BMW, leading a range of key engineering divisions within chassis development, powertrain development and corporate strategy, for more than 10 years as a BMW Group Vice-President; 2010, Vice-President and Head of Vehicle Program i8, which gave birth to the i8 luxury plug-in hybrid model. Leadership and introduction of a revolutionary development process helped launch the BMW i8 successfully in merely 38 months. The model surpasses all vehicle standards in performance, materials used and efficiency of development, setting new benchmarks in the auto industry. Through his efforts, innovative sales and customer service techniques and systems have been established to market the BMW i8. Interests: sailing, mountain climbing and cycling, arts, fine dining and good red wines.