Ulrich Grillo

Mr. Ulrich Grillo, President of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), spoke on the topic "The future of Industry 4.0".

The Federation of German Industries (BDI) is the umbrella organization of German industry and industry-related service providers. It speaks for 36 industry associations and more than 100,000 companies with around 8 million employees. The BDI, which was founded in 1949, represents the interests of German industry to political decision-makers. It has an extensive network in Germany and Europe, in all important markets and in international organizations. The BDI provides political support for international market development and offers information and economic policy advice on all industry-relevant topics. In this way, the BDI supports companies in global competition and is also a practical advisor to politicians.

Mr. Ulrich Grillo was born in Cologne in 1959. After completing his training at Deutsche Bank AG in Duisburg, he studied business administration at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität in Münster, graduating with a degree in business administration. From 1987 to 1989, Ulrich Grillo worked at Arthur Andersen & Co. GmbH in Frankfurt am Main from 1987 to 1989 and at A. T. Kearney GmbH in Düsseldorf from 1989 to 1993, before joining the Rheinmetall Group in 1993. In August 2001, he joined the Management Board of Grillo-Werke AG and has been its Chairman since 2004. Ulrich Grillo was President of the Wirtschaftsvereinigung Metalle (WVM), Düsseldorf/Berlin, from 2006 to 2012 and Vice President of the Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie e. V. (BDI) from 2011 to 2012. On January 1, 2013, Ulrich Grillo was unanimously elected President of the Federation of German Industries (BDI). On November 24, 2014, the General Assembly of the BDI confirmed him in office for a further two years. Mr. Grillo is involved in various supervisory and advisory boards.

Status: Beginning of 2016