Plenary Speakers 2024

Dr. Sabine Klauke

CTO, Airbus

Sabine Klauke has been Chief Technology Officer for Airbus and Executive Vice President Engineering of the Commercial Aircraft business since 1 January 2024 and is a member of the Company’s Executive Committee. She was previously Chief Technical Officer at Airbus since 1 July 2021 and a member of the Company’s Executive Committee ever since. In this role, Dr. Klauke drives the Company’s ambition behind delivering bold and breakthrough technologies to build the future of aerospace. She leads a team of more than 13,000 employees across the globe who design, develop, certify and ensure continuing airworthiness of all Commercial Aircraft products and services.

In addition to her Airbus CTO mission, Dr. Klauke serves as: Co-Chair of the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking, VP Aviation for the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI), Chairwoman of the supervisory board of Airbus GmbH, and she is member of the Supervisory Board of Airbus Operations GmbH.

Previously, Dr. Klauke was Head of Engineering within Airbus Defence and Space and a member of the Division’s Executive Committee. In this capacity, she was responsible for all engineering activities within the Defence and Space division and in charge of its product and services portfolio. Prior to this position, she served as Head of Programmes Customer Services: a responsibility she held for the A330/A340 programmes since 2015.
Dr. Klauke joined Airbus in 2002, where she has held positions of increasing responsibility within manufacturing engineering, production, product development programs, development processes and change and innovation projects within the Airbus Commercial Aircraft division. Dr. Klauke holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the Dresden University of Technology (TU Dresden). From 1998 to 2002 Dr. Klauke worked at DELMIA, a brand of Dassault Systèmes, where she carried out the deployment of digital manufacturing software as well as consulting projects with customers in the automotive and the aerospace industries worldwide.

Dr. Holger Klein

CEO, ZF Group

Dr. Holger Klein holds a Ph.D. in Technology Management and is a trained engineer. With many years of experience from McKinsey & Company’s automotive practice and global engagement in Europe and North America, he joined the ZF Group in 2014.

After heading the integration management upon the acquisition of TRW Automotive, Dr. Klein took over the role as leader of the Car Chassis Technology division in 2017. He has been a Member of the Board of Management of the ZF Group since 2018 and led the Asia-Pacific and India regions from Shanghai, China, until the end of 2022. He also managed the business of the Car Chassis Technology and Aftermarket divisions and was responsible for group-wide production. Since January 2023 he is the Chief Executive Officer of the ZF Group and responsible for Sales, Research and Development, System House Autonomous Mobility Systems as well as the Aftermarket division.

Driven by passion for innovation, Holger Klein is dedicated to making mobility safe and sustainable. As the CEO of ZF, he knows the importance of innovation and a strong ecosystem are key to developing cutting-edge technologies that promote sustainability. From bikes to passenger cars, from small to large trucks and buses, construction machinery and even wind turbines – ZF’s expertise extends across various mobility segments.

Shunichi Inamijima

Corporate Vice President, Nissan

Mr. Shunichi Inamijima is the Corporate Vice President at Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., where he currently leads the Powertrain & EV Engineering Division.

He joined Nissan in 1987 after graduated Mechanical Engineering from Keio University and dedicating approximately 23 years to advancing powertrain components and systems, including a significant period in North America. In 2010, he was appointed as General Manager of the Powertrain Engineering Division, and then he had taken on the role of Division General Manager and Alliance Global Director of the Powertrain & EV Engineering Division in 2020, where he played a crucial role in strategic initiatives with Renault. In 2022, he became Vice President and Alliance Global Vice President of the same division.

Recently, in 2024, he was further elevated to Corporate Vice President, maintaining his oversight of the Powertrain & EV Engineering Division. Since November 2022, he has also served as an outside director at VEJ Japan Co., Ltd., adding to his responsibilities within the automotive industry.

Ruiping Wang

CEO, Aurobay

Ruiping Wang’s extensive career includes positions such as CEO of Aurobay since 2023, Senior Vice President at Zhejiang GEELY Auto Group since 2011, General Manager of BU Powertrain at Great Wall Motor from 2005 to 2011 and Senior Technical Manager at Zhengzhou Nissan Motor from 1984 to 2001. She holds a Master’s degree in Vehicle Engineering from Concordia University, Canada, and a Bachelor’s degree in Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) from Xi’an Jiaotong University, China.

Ms. Wang is also Chairwoman of the Advanced Propulsion System (APS) at China SAE and President of the Specialist Committee on Powertrain of Passenger Car (SCP) at CSICE.

Her major achievements include leading the development of more than 20 powertrain products with cumulative sales of over 13 million units.

Ms. Wang has been honored with several awards, including the first prize of “China Automotive Science and Technology Progress Awards” for the development of “1.5TD+ 7DCT/H” high efficiency powertrain platform, the first prize of “China SAE Science and Technology Awards” for the development of “Leishen” intelligent hybrid platform, and the “Global New Energy Vehicles Innovative Technology” award for the development of “High Performance Drive Hybrid Platform Technology”.

Ms. Wang’s extensive experience and remarkable achievements in the automotive industry make her a key figure in advancing automotive technologies and innovations.

Participants of the closing plenary discussion on the topic
"The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Automotive Applications"

Stephan Durach

Senior Vice President in the Connected Company Development, BMW

After graduating in electrical engineering at the Technical University of Karlsruhe, Stephan Durach joined BMW Group in Munich in 1998.

He started his career in software processes and methods and ran through various stations in the electronics division. In 2008 he became Head of Technology Office Palo Alto/Mountain View in USA. Back at BMW headquarters in 2011 he took over the department for Entertainment, Mobile Devices and App Centers before leading the Electronics department in the BMW product line for the luxury class. He joined the purchasing and supplier network division in 2015 leading the purchasing for Information and Communications electronics and ConnectedDrive. Also, in 2015 he extended his responsibility to the complete electric/electronic portfolio with the BMW Group. From April 2017 to September 2020 Stephan Durach was Senior Vice President Purchasing and Supplier Network Digital at BMW Group. As of 2020, he has taken the role as Senior Vice President in the Connected Company Development, creating the vision for BMW’s future digital experiences.

Stephan Durach's extensive experience in the field of digital products at BMW positions him as a key figure in the development of Software Defined Vehicles. Here, software plays a crucial role in vehicle functionality and user experience. Mr. Durach's leadership in BMW's digitalization, highlights his essential role in integrating artificial intelligence and advanced digital technologies into the automotive industry, driving innovation and connectivity.

Prof. Dr. Ralf G. Herrtwich

Senior Director Automotive Software, NVIDIA

Ralf G. Herrtwich runs automotive software development for NVIDIA in Europe. He currently focuses on artificial intelligence for autonomous vehicles and new automotive computing architectures. During his career, Prof. Herrtwich also managed the Automotive and Services Business Units of HERE Technologies and developed self-driving vehicles for Mercedes-Benz. In 2013, his team made an S-Class reenact the world’s first overland drive, covering the historic 65-miles Bertha Benz Memorial Route while operating autonomously in regular traffic conditions.

Educated as a computer scientist, Prof. Herrtwich started his career in academia at TU Berlin and UC Berkeley. He then held management positions with IBM and several telecommunication start-ups before joining Daimler in 1998 to manage its Advanced Engineering Centers on Telematics & Infotainment and, later, Driver Assistance & Chassis Systems. Since 2009, he has also served as honorary professor for vehicle information technology at the Technical University of Berlin. In recognition of his contributions to computing innovations in the car industry, he received the Fellow of the German Computer Science Society distinction in 2019.

NVIDIA is a leader in accelerated computing, providing breakthrough AI and computer graphics solutions for the automotive industry. Their Omniverse platform accelerates vehicle development, production optimization, and safety improvements. The NVIDIA DRIVE AV platform uses generative AI for vehicle automation and enhancing in-car experiences. By building software factories that continuously improve through machine learning, NVIDIA aims to enrich the user experience in connected vehicles over time.

Nikolai Ardey

Executive Director, VW Group Innovation

After finishing his Diploma in mechanical engineering and his PHD in thermodynamics at Technical University of Munich, Nikolai Ardey joined BMW powertrain development in 1998, where he gained several leading positions in combustion engine development, software development, powertrain integration and innovation and EV-powertrain. Furthermore, he expanded his scope to vehicle project management and whole vehicle development.

In 2017, Nikolai Ardey changed to AUDI as head of powertrain engineering.

Since 2020 he leads Volkswagen Group Innovation, an international research team supporting all passenger car brands of the group in regard to sustainability, mobility and digital platform innovations. As head of the IAV supervisory board, Nikolai Ardey contributes to the development of the engineering supplier business since 2020.

Plenary Speakers 2023

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Opening Plenary Session 2023

Arnd Franz, CEO, MAHLE GmbH
Gürcan Karakas, CEO, TOGG
Atsushi Ogawa, COO, Honda Motor R&D
Dr. Frederik Zohm, CTO, MAN Truck & Bus SE

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Participants of the closing plenary discussion on the topic
"Sustainable Transport under ESG Perspective" 2023

Matthias Jurytko, CEO, Cellcentric
Dr. Peter Laier, Member of the Board, ZF Group
Dr. Gerrit Marx, CEO, IVECO Group

Plenary Speakers 2022