Dr. Kurt-Christian Scheel is to become new Managing Director of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), succeeding Dr. Kay Lindemann who is moving to Deutsche Lufthansa AG at the beginning of next year, where he will be new Head of Corporate Policy and authorised representative of Lufthansa’s Executive Board.
Dr. Scheel is responsible for the political work of Robert Bosch GmbH vis-à-vis the German Parliament and the German Government, the federal states in Germany and the European Union. Prior to this, after obtaining a Degree in Law, since 1996 he held various positions at the Federation of German Industries (BDI). “I am very pleased that in Dr. Scheel we have found a Managing Director with in-depth understanding of the political processes in Germany and in Europe, and who at the same time knows the automotive industry from a company perspective”, stressed VDA President Matthias Wissmann. Dr. Scheel has shaped the BDI’s environmental, climate and sustainability policy as well as the legal policy over many years. As Executive Member of the Management Board, he played a significant role in advancing the development of econsense – the Forum for Sustainable Development of German Business to become a key actor in the sustainability debate. His time at Robert Bosch GmbH is associated with the realignment of the energy and climate policy, the intensive support for digital policy in Germany and Europe, and numerous impulses for policy frameworks in the mobility sector.
Dr. Scheel will take up office on 1 January 2018.
“With his excellent knowledge of politics and great dedication, Dr Lindemann has definitively shaped the VDA’s work in the past years and substantially strengthened the Association. He has set important signals for the positioning, strategy and communication of the automotive industry” declared VDA President Matthias Wissmann. “I would like to thank Dr. Lindemann for the many years of good and successful cooperation and wish him all the best for a good start and continued success in his new task.”
Dr. Lindemann joined VDA in October 2008 and coordinated the Association’s political work in Berlin und Brussels. He has been a member of the VDA Management Board since 2010.
