What was your first automotive job and why were you interested in the industry?
My automotive career began in 2006 when I joined Robert Bosch’s junior managers program. The program offered diverse training opportunities and an established mentoring system with experienced managers, helping me map my out career path within Bosch’s automotive business. My main motivation for working in the automotive industry is because you can change the world with automated driving.

Your greatest achievement?
Fortunately, there have been a few. One was taking over the director position responsible for strategic marketing at Bosch’s driver assistance unit. In this role I was able to co-define the company’s very successful mid-range radar for advanced driver assistance systems. In addition, at age 19 I created an online car dealership called euwagen24 to distribute reimported and new vehicles, and at 21 I founded a startup called henrex that delivers online marketing and targeted online advertising solutions for the automotive sector. Both businesses are still active. I continue to own henrex but I pulled out of euwagen24.

What was your biggest failure and what did it teach you?
I was nearly forced into bankruptcy when my first company started to struggle. This taught me to always expect the unexpected and to prepare for it. I also learned that after failure often comes success.

What is your current challenge at work?
The automated driving market needs system approaches for different domains and product areas. To design an automated driving system, all relevant domains - powertrain, steering, connectivity and more - have to work together with the set of sensors, actuators, and AD software in a safe and secure manner. In the case of highly automated systems, the system becomes solely responsible. This significantly increases the requirements for redundancy, reliability and robustness of all components. My personal challenge is to manage the numerous business opportunities and chances while balancing them against the technology’s high-level complexity. Then I have to identify Bosch’s best way forward in this area.

What is the best advice you have ever received?
Hire good people and trust them to do their jobs.

What advice would you give to a person considering a career in the auto industry?
Be prepared for huge disruption within the next 10 years and to welcome new entrants from outside the automotive sector. Make sure you are prepared to continuously improve and update your skills.

What job do you really want to have in the future?
To be head of a Bosch business unit in Asia or the U.S.

What do you do to relax?
I like to read or spend time with friends.

What is your dream location to live?
I would really like to live in Singapore or Los Angeles.

What is your favorite driving song?
My favorite song is “Run” by Amy Macdonald.

What was your favorite road trip and why?
I went on a road trip between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The scenery and the lifestyle I got to experience were tremendous.

What was your first car?
A VW Polo that I bought in the Czech Republic.

Current car?
A Mercedes-Benz GLE.

If you were a car, which one would you be?
I would definitely be an Aston Martin.