Dirk Wollschlaeger has more than 25 years of professional experience. After achieving his degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Hanover, he started his professional career in the production engineering department with Hitachi in Yokohama, Japan. After returning to Germany, he became Assistant to the Board of Directors at an internationally-operating company in the metal industry.

He then became Plant Manager and later Vice President of a medium sized company in the same industry. Dirk led a successful turnaround through multiple initiatives including to the reduction of in-house production, the shift of production to near shore locations and the outsourcing of various departments. In the late 90s, he joined PWC Consulting working with clients in the chemical and automotive industries. The focus of his engagements was on cost reduction, the re-organization of sales and logistics, and the implementation of new business models. He became Partner with PWC Consulting in 2001.

In 2003, he joined IBM where he continued to work with clients in the manufacturing industry. In 2005, he was appointed as the Global Relationship Partner for DaimlerChrysler, and in 2007 he took over the responsibility for IBM’s global business with Daimler AG.

In January 2012, Dirk Wollschlaeger was appointed IBM General Manager, Global Automotive Industry. In this role, Dirk moved to Shanghai, China and returned to Germany in 2014. Since 2016, his responsibilities were extended to include Aerospace & Defense and Dirk is now driving IBM’s global business with our clients helping them to transform their products & services, their operations & supply chain and ultimately their client experience.