TÜV SÜD AG - Board of Management

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Axel Stepken
Chairman of the Board of Management, TÜV SÜD AG 

Axel Stepken was born in Essen, Germany. He graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering from the RWTH Aachen and achieved his PhD in High Voltage Engineering in 1989.

Upon completion of his PhD, Axel Stepken worked at ABB where he held several Management positions in Germany and Indonesia within the Power Transmission and Distribution Segment. He joined TÜV SÜD AG as Member of the Board of Management responsible for the INDUSTRY and the former PEOPLE Strategic Business Segments as well as the Strategic Region ASIA. In June 2007 Axel Stepken was appointed the Chairman of the Board of Management. 

Dirk Eilers
Member of the Board of Management, TÜV SÜD AG

Dirk Eilers was born in Delmenhorst, Northern Germany. He graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University Bremen and achieved a Master Degree in Medical Engineering  in Lübeck.

In 1981, Dirk Eilers joined TÜV SÜD as a technical expert with TÜV Hessen. He held several key leadership positions between 1995 and 2010 in Asia and the Product Services Division. In 2010, Dirk Eilers was appointed as a Member of the Board of Management responsible for the CERTIFICATION Strategic Business Segment as well as the ASEAN, Greater China, Japan, Korea and South Asia Regions. 

Dr. Matthias J. Rapp
Member of the Board of Management, TÜV SÜD AG

Born in 1967 in Schramberg/Schwarzwald (Black Forest), Matthias J. Rapp studied Business Administration at WHU (Otto Beisheim School of Management) Koblenz, ESC Lyon and Manchester Business School. He completed his doctorate at WHU Koblenz from 1992 to 1995.

Matthias J. Rapp started his professional career with the global management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group before moving to industry in 1997, where he has since held positions as Chief Financial Officer in several prestigious companies, most recently as CFO of Webasto SE. Matthias J. Rapp was appointed Member of the Board of Management of TÜV SÜD AG with effect from August 2013. As a Member of the Board of Management of Germany's largest TÜV organisation, he is responsible for Finances, Controlling, M&A, Purchasing, Real Estate, IT and Risk Management.

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   Klemens Schmiederer
2. Member of the Board of Management, TÜV SÜD AG
3. Born in 1959, the engineering graduate studied aerospace engineering at Stuttgart University and Imperial College, London. From 1987 to 2013, Klemens Schmiederer held various management positions at Behr Group, including Chief Engineer and Member of the Executive Committee at Behr America. As a Member of the Board (COO) of the automotive supplier, he was in charge of global product development, production and operational business in Europe from 2003.

Klemens Schmiederer was appointed Member of the Board of Management of TÜV SÜD AG with effect from February 2015. In this role he is responsible for the MOBILITY Strategic Business Segment and the Western Europe and Central Eastern Europe Regions.

Karsten Xander
Member of the Board of Management, TÜV SÜD AG

Karsten Xander was born in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Southern Germany. He graduated with a MBA-equivalent Diploma (Diplom-Kaufmann) in Business Management and Administration from University of Mannheim.

From 1993 to 2006, Karsten Xander held several management positions at Bossard Consultants & Gemini Consulting, Razorfish AG, M+W Zander AG and Caatoosee AG. He joined TÜV SÜD AG as Head of Strategic Corporate Development in 2006, and was promoted to President & CEO of TÜV SÜD America in 2007. In 2010, Karsten Xander was appointed as a Member of the Board of Management responsible for the INDUSTRY Strategic Business Segment, as well as the Americas, Middle East & Africa Regions.