Senior Advisor Automotive

National and international experience from more than 35 years of activities in the automotive industry made Bernd Gottschalk one of the most renowned automobile experts. He had been a board member for the worldwide utility vehicle business segment of MERCEDES-BENZ; with over 10 years, he had been the longest acting president of the Verband der Automobilindustrie VDA (Association of the Automobile Industry); president of OICA, the World Automobile Association; and he represented the interests of the German industry as vice president of the Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie BDI (Federal Association of the German Industry).

Senior Advisor Food & Beverages

As chairman of the board of Mast-Jägermeister AG, Hasso Kaempfe turned the formerly outdated herbal schnapps into one of the worldwide most popular party drinks for young people. In this respect, he had not only been responsible for the company's marketing, but also its supply chain management. Before that time, Kaempfe had been a member of the board of Tchibo GmbH. Today, Hasso Kaempfe is a consultant especially for medium-sized companies with regard to issues of corporate strategy.

Senior Advisor Blue Chips

Lahnstein headed the Bundeskanzleramt (Chancellor's office) of Helmut Schmidt; subsequently, he was Federal minister for finances and the economy and one of the few professional politicians to gain a foothold in the world of business in an operative function. On the board of Bertelsmann AG, Lahnstein was responsible for the division of "New Media"; in 1994, he changed over to the supervisory board. Until 2004, he remained a special envoy for the management board of the Gütersloh-based media group.

Senior Advisor Finance

Until now, Andreas Leimbach's professional life had been in the financial sector – last as a member of the board of IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG with responsibility for the department of business customers (corporate financing, private equity, leasing). In 1988, he started his career with Dresdner Bank, where he had last been a member of the board and manager with a general power of attorney for the business customers sector. Particularly important is his expertise in the area of structured finance, capital market and procurement of capital for medium-sized companies.

Senior Advisor Services

Thomas Ludwig is a specialist in the sectors of steel and trade. From 1991 to 1995 he was member of the board at Klöckner & Co AG before becoming CEO of ThyssenKrupp Serv AG, the sector in the ThyssenKrupp-group for trade and services. From 2003 to October 2009 Thomas Ludwig headed Klöckner & Co SE as CEO. From January 2010 on he is managing partner at the investment company Lindsay Goldberg & Vogel GmbH in Düsseldorf, which represents the private equity fond Lindsay Goldberg, New York, in Germany.

Senior Advisor Science

Since the year 2004, Wolfgang Stölzle is holder of the chair for Logistics Management at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. Stölzle is one of the leading scientists in the fields of logistics, supply chain management and purchasing. In this function, he is, inter alia, a member of the scientific advisory council of the German Federal Ministry for Traffic, Construction and Urban Development and of the scientific advisory council of the Federal Association of Materials Management, Purchasing and Logistics (BME -Bundesverband Materialwirtschaft, Einkauf und Logistik). The Kerkhoff Consulting Competence Center at the University of St. Gallen is assigned to Stölzle's chair.