From 1972 to 1996, Prof. Dr. Bernd Gottschalk was working in different departments within the Daimer Benz AG, among other positions he was president of Mercedes-Benz do Brasil and since 1992 appointed to a deputy member of the Board of Executive Members for the division commercial vehicles.

1997 he was selected president of the automotive sector (VDA). With more than ten years in this office he was the longest-serving VDA-president and in devotion of his service for the German automotive sector he is still honorary member of the VDA.

Prof. Gottschalk is CEO and founder of the AutoValue GmbH and member of the supervisory boards of Schaeffler Group, Voith AG, Plastic Omnium S.A., Paris and of Roche Holding GmbH/Roche Diagnostics GmbH. Furthermore he is member of several advisory boards, e.g. at the WOCO Group or the Hay Group. He is a member of the Allianz group advisory committee.

1999 the University of West Saxony in Zwickau appointed him honorary professor. He gives lectures on the topic “Mobility, Transport and Traffic”. 

Since 2005, Alexander Koesling is head of the center for preliminary planning and purchase parts planning of the Daimler AG in Sindelfingen (Germany) and responsible for the module strategies and processes as well as the production planning of S-Klasse and Roadster.

His professional career started with his graduation in business administration in Stuttgart and directed him through various stations in the Daimler Group. After positions in the area of Group planning and organization Alexander Koesling was head of the periodical strategic planning Car Mercedes Bend & smart of the Daimler Cars AG and till September 2000 he was head of Project Management B Segment & smart forfour at the smart GmbH.

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Joachim Exner is lawyer and specialized lawyer for insolvency law since his graduation at the University of Erlangen/Nuremberg in 1996. Since 1999 he is almost exclusively working as insolvency administrator ordered by the insolvency court of Amberg, Ansbach, Bamberg, Bayreuth, Coburg, Fürth, Heilbronn, Hof, Ingolstadt, Nuremberg, Regensburg and Weiden.

Joachim Exner is specialized in the accomplishment of complex insolvency proceedings with the goal of preservation of companies and employments.

Furthermore he is member in several professional associations and working parties, author and lecturer at the Bavarian Sparkassen academy and the Georg-Simon-Ohm University of Applied Sciences, Nuremberg.
His current mandate of April 2011 makes him the insolvency administrator of the Sellner GmbH, a well-known automobile supplier.

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Since 2009 Klaus Matauschek is Director Business Development, Strategy and Planning at the Automotive Lighting Reutlingen GmbH, a subsidiary of the Magneti Marelli Group. After working in various positions in the area of logistics and procurement at the Robert Bosch GmbH the industrial engineer took over managerial responsibilities in further business areas, among others as Head of Controlling and Director Sales Planning and Marketing.

In 1999 the merger of the Lighting Group of Magneti Marelli and the K2 Light Technology of Bosch formed Automotive Lighting. The company is innovator in the field of external car lighting, which is also proven with being test winner and getting supplier awards on a regular basis.

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Hans Jürgen Kracht (49) worked in different functions in the Benteler Group from 1986 to 1999. Among other positions he took over the worldwide responsibility as managing director for various OEMs and the Tier-1-area after he spent three years in France. From 1999 to 2002 Hans Jürgen Kracht directed two plants of the ITW-conglomerate as general manager and later took over two more plants in France. 2003-2010 he was responsible for fourteen production-plants in Europe as Vice President Magna Seating Europe and drove the development in South America. Since 2010 Hans Jürgen Kracht is CEO of the WOCO Group.

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Dr. Ulrich Weinmann is Head of Business Development and Procurement at Alpine Electronics, one of the leading manufacturers of infotainment and drive assist systems and supplier for OEM automobile manufacturers as well as the aftermarket. 1996 to 2008 Dr. Ulrich Weinmann worked in different departments of the BMW Group, among others as Head of Executive Board matters, founder and CEO of the BMW Car IT GmbH and Head of Development Infotainment, Navigation and MMI. In 2008 he joint McKinsey & Company as Associate Principal and advised companies in the area of automotive, IT, marketing and retail.