From left to right: Philipp Wibbing (Unity AG), Chairman of the Board Jens Poggenburg (AVL), Tomohiko Adachi (Mazda Motor Corporation), Thomas Kamla (Volkswagen AG), Prof. Dr. Matthias Kreimeyer (University of Stuttgart). Not in the picture: Dr. Henrik Weimer (AIRBUS)

 

New election of the prostep ivip Management Board team confirms continuity and success

Frankfurt, April 2026

At the General Assembly of prostep ivip e.V. on April 13, 2026 — the eve of this year's Symposium — the association held its regular board election. The assembly also marked a significant change in leadership.

Transition in the Research and Universities Member Group

After 14 years of dedicated service as Board representative for Member Group 3 (Research and Universities), Prof. Dr. Rainer Stark (TU Berlin) passed his role to his successor, Prof. Dr. Matthias Kreimeyer of the University of Stuttgart. The prostep ivip Association extends its sincere gratitude to Prof. Dr. Stark for his long-standing commitment, scientific expertise, and invaluable contribution to the growth of the community. We are delighted to welcome Prof. Dr. Matthias Kreimeyer to the Board and are confident that his academic expertise and industrial experience will be a tremendous asset to the association. We wish him every success in his new role and look forward to a productive and forward-looking collaboration.

 

Existing Board Confirmed in Office

The remaining Board members were confirmed in their positions and will lead the association through the 2026–2028 term. The Board is composed of: Jens Poggenburg (AVL) as Chairman of the Board, Thomas Kamla (Volkswagen AG), Dr. Henrik Weimer (AIRBUS), Philipp Wibbing (Unity AG), Tomohiko Adachi (Mazda Motor Corporation), and newly elected Prof. Dr. Matthias Kreimeyer (University of Stuttgart). The Board will guide the association forward with drive, expertise, and a clear vision for the future.

Strategic Priorities 2026–2028

The Board has defined clear strategic priorities for the coming term: expanding membership in the MedTech and Defense sectors, and deepening the association's work on Artificial Intelligence — areas of central importance to the future of Systems Engineering.

 

Jens Poggenburg

Jens Poggenburg (Chairman of the Board)

Poggenburg brings with him a great deal of expertise in the areas practical application of model-based development and digitalization. The growing proportion of software and electronics in smart products means that these areas are becoming increasingly important to the association's members. "I decided to spend time working on the association’s board because the need for collaboration in disruptive transformation is changing and growing significantly," said Poggenburg. "I want to be actively involved in shaping the association's new strategy and achieving concrete results for members."

Jens Poggenburg
Matthias Kreimeyer

Prof. Dr. Matthias Kreimeyer

Nach seiner Promotion zu Anwendungen der Graphentheorie im Komplexitätsmanagement an der TU München war Matthias Kreimeyer zunächst gut zwölf Jahre bei MAN Truck & Bus SE beschäftigt, unter anderem mit dem Aufbau der Funktion „Produktarchitektur“ und der Einführung eines PLM Systems, zuletzt als Senior Vice President für das Produktmanagement für das LKW Geschäft. Seit 2021 hat er nun die Professur für Produktentwicklung und Konstruktionstechnik am IKTD der Universität Stuttgart.

Der Forschungsschwerpunkt liegt auf der systematischen Entwicklung komplexer technischer Systeme. Im Fokus stehen Modelle, Methoden und Werkzeuge für effiziente, IT-gestützte Entwicklungsprozesse sowie die Gestaltung variantenreicher Architekturen durch modulare Prinzipien. Zudem gewinnt die Nutzung künstlicher Intelligenz und Nachhaltigkeit in der Forschungsarbeit an Bedeutung.

Prof. Kreimeyer ist Mitglied der WiGeP und der Design Society sowie aktuell Prodekan seiner Fakultät.

www.Iktd.uni-stuttgart.de

Prof. Dr. Matthias Kreimeyer
Dr. Henrik Weimer

Dr. Henrik Weimer

Dr. Henrik Weimer has been an integral member of the board of the prostep ivip Association since April 2018, assuming the role of Chairman of the Board in 2020. Currently serving as the Director of Digital Engineering at Airbus, Dr. Weimer leads a portfolio of initiatives to achieve business excellence in product development through process optimization and digital transformation.

His responsibilities encompass overseeing the digital capabilities of Airbus Commercial Aircraft’s engineering. His organization supports and maintains the tools used by Airbus’ global engineering and supplier network, comprising over 36,000 individuals who are engaged in the design, development, certification, and continued airworthiness of all commercial aircraft products and services. His role covers the entire product lifecycle, from product requirements and architecture, collaborative systems engineering tools, detailed design and design integration, product configuration management, to manufacturing engineering and in-service engineering for repairs and upgrades. Dr. Weimer brings over 25 years of international industry experience to his role.

He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Rice University and holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from the Technical University of Kaiserslautern. His professional background includes significant positions in the automotive industry with Mercedes-Benz and in oil and gas exploration with Schlumberger.

A proponent of industrial collaboration, Dr. Weimer co-founded the Aerospace & Defense PLM Action Group (www.ad-pag.com) and actively contributes to the Industrial Advisory Board of the German Scientific Society for Product Development (www.WiGeP.de).

Dr. Weimer’s extensive expertise and leadership in digital engineering and product lifecycle management continue to drive innovation and efficiency in the aerospace industry.

Dr. Henrik Weimer
Tomohiko Adachi

Tomohiko Adachi

Tomohiko Adachi joined Mazda Motor Corporation as a research engineer in April 1990 after graduating from the Graduate School of Systems Engineering at Kobe University. With extensive experience in research into advanced safety vehicles, he was assigned to the Chassis Dynamics Development Department in 2004, where he led the development of chassis control and braking system technologies, and was appointed department manager in 2009.

Since 2015, he has been promoting the model-based development strategy as the chief engineer of the Integrated Control System Development Department. Through the SURIAWASE2.0 project, Adachi aims to integrate cars, industry, and communities into models. He is very enthusiastic about reforming car development through models, and is currently promoting cross-departmental collaboration from design to production, data and model management, and ultimately reforming the awareness of the vehicle development department.

From 2023, as Supreme principal Engineer of the R&D Strategy Planning Division and the MDI&IT Division, in addition to promoting model-based development, he will be responsible for promoting digital transformation across the company. With the aim of achieving real-time decision-making within the company, he aims to reorganize business processes and leverage AI/IT technology to achieve this.

Tomohiko Adachi
Thomas Kamla

Thomas Kamla

Thomas Kamla, born in 1970, brings extensive expertise in the automotive industry. He began his professional career in 1997 at Magna Steyr in Austria as a development engineer in NVH. A significant milestone in his career was his move to Audi AG in Ingolstadt in 1999, where he held various leadership positions in product development as well as strategy and business processes over two decades. From 2020 to 2024, he headed TE Strategy, Digitalization and Compliance at Volkswagen Passenger Cars. In his current position as CTO since October 2024, he is responsible for the development of the ID.1, MQB Classic and Touareg, VW cooperation projects, as well as the development of methods, tools, and digitalization in Technical Development at VW Passenger Cars. Since 2022, Thomas Kamla has been contributing his profound experience in the digital transformation of the automotive industry as a board member of the prostep ivip Association. Beyond his professional commitments, the father of two dedicates himself to his passion for skiing, classic cars, and motorcycles.

Thomas Kamla
Philipp Wibbing

Philipp Wibbing

As a member of the Management Board at UNITY, Philipp Wibbing is responsible for business with a focus on digitalisation and engineering. His consulting focus lies in the areas of digitalisation, systems engineering, PLM, CIO strategy, business model innovation, agile management and artificial intelligence. He also brings his expertise in the automotive industry to other sectors and is responsible for the healthcare business at UNITY.

Philipp Wibbing studied business informatics at the University of Paderborn and has been working at UNITY since 2005. In 2012, he took over responsibility for the business unit. From 2016 to 2019, he also helped build up UNITY's business in China. Philipp Wibbing has been a member of the board of the prostep ivip association since 2018 and represents member group 2. In his role on the board, he is responsible in particular for the realisation of the annual prostep ivip symposium. He is also co-author of the book Chefsache IT. Since July 2024, Philipp Wibbing has also been a member of the UNITY Executive Board after many years as a partner.

Philipp Wibbing