Dr Brenneke will now combine his current responsibilities as vice-president – Engineering, with those of the CTO to lead Wabco's global innovation and advanced product development strategy.
20 Mar 2018 | 7724 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
Wabco Holdings, the global supplier of technologies that improve the safety, efficiency and connectivity of commercial vehicles, today announced Dr Christian Brenneke's promotion as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Dr Brenneke, who has also been appointed an executive officer of the company, succeeds Dr Christian Wiehen as CTO. Dr. Wiehen retired in 2017 following ...
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Wabco Holdings, the global supplier of technologies that improve the safety, efficiency and connectivity of commercial vehicles, today announced Dr Christian Brenneke's promotion as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Dr Brenneke, who has also been appointed an executive officer of the company, succeeds Dr Christian Wiehen as CTO. Dr. Wiehen retired in 2017 following a career of nearly 30 years with Wabco.
Underlining Wabco's commitment to differentiate through the development of pioneering technology for increasingly autonomous, connected and electrified commercial vehicles, Dr Brenneke will now combine his current responsibilities as vice-president – Engineering, with those of the CTO to lead Wabco's global innovation and advanced product development strategy.
"Technological innovation is at the very heart of Wabco's topline growth success," said Jacques Esculier, Wabco chairman and CEO. "By bringing his extensive commercial, operational and engineering expertise to this role, Dr. Brenneke's appointment powerfully underlines our continued strategic focus to expand and globalize Wabco's extensive portfolio of commercial vehicle safety and efficiency technologies."
The company’s technology portfolio includes multiple commercial vehicle industry-firsts, such as anti-lock braking systems, collision mitigation systems, electronic stability control and automated manual transmission controls. In 2017 alone, Wabco invested a record $147 million in product development and engineering and was granted 383 new patents.
Ensuring its global technology leadership continues through future generations of innovation, Wabco has also invested nearly $30 million in a new Engineering Innovation Center in Hanover, Germany. The innovation center will play a significant role in the development of new solutions that will support the commercial vehicle industry to pave the way towards more connected and automated driving.
Having served for a decade with Wabco, Dr. Brenneke became Vice President of Engineering in October 2015. Prior to this he was Vice President, Braking and Driver Assistance Systems, and held a number of management roles including Global Project Management Leader.
Prior to joining Wabco in 2008, Dr. Brenneke spent several years in various research, development and program management roles within the automotive industry. He holds a graduate degree in electrical engineering, having specialized in mechatronics, as well as a doctorate in engineering, both from Leibniz University in Hanover, Germany. He also earned an M.B.A. degree in general management from the University for Applied Sciences in Hamburg, Germany.
About WABCO
WABCO (NYSE:WBC) is a leading global supplier of technologies and services that improve the safety, efficiency and connectivity of commercial vehicles. Originating from the Westinghouse Air Brake Company founded nearly 150 years ago, WABCO continues to pioneer breakthrough innovations to enable autonomous driving in the commercial vehicle industry. Today, leading truck, bus and trailer brands worldwide rely on WABCO's differentiating technologies, including advanced driver assistance, braking, steering and stability control systems. Powered by its vision for accident-free driving and greener transportation solutions, WABCO is also at the forefront of advanced fleet management systems that contribute to commercial fleet efficiency. For six consecutive years, Institutional Investornamed WABCO among the "Top 3" in its sector for "Best CEO." In