Ibeo, a leading automotive lidar supplier, have announced a change in their management structure. The changes are strategically aimed at coping with the challenges of the quickly developing driving automation market and the important role which advanced lidar systems will play therein. In view of the expected future company growth and to safeguard the financial sustainability to grasp the upcoming business opportunities, it was decided to adjust the structure of the management committee.
Dr. Ulrich Lages continues as CEO, founder, and companion of the enterprise. In future he will be supported by Christophe Minster as COO and Dr. Stefan Gros as CFO. Lages says Ibeo’s strategic goal is to position the company among the top three automotive lidar suppliers. He expects the new management structure—especially the competence in the financing and investment area—will be enhanced for long term sustainibility.
Minster joined Ibeo in the beginning of 2019 from ZF-TRW as program director for ibeoNEXT, the supplier’s 4D solid-state lidar product. His education includes a bachelor of mechanical engineering as well as an MBA; he is an Alumnus of ESSEC business school. His experience is based on over 20 years’ worth of sales; marketing, and operational positions at major automotive suppliers like Siemens, Valeo, and TRW. His ambition in his new role is to use his knowledge acquired over years to influence product innovation as well as sales strategy of Ibeo.
Dr. Stefan Gros has more than 25 years’ experience in leading positions with a high strategic competence in various industries. Most recently, as a CFO and transformation officer he successfully guided the financial fortunes of international family-owned and public companies. He is a lecturer for business valuation and strategic corporate finance at the Eichstätt-Ingolstadt catholic university. Dr. Gros wants to contribute by his broad experience in finance to the strong growth of Ibeo in the lidar segment important for the mobility of the future.
With this new structure, the management—as well as key shareholders ZF Friederichshafen and AAC Technologies—feel well prepared for further developing existing business relationships and to evolve upcoming business opportunities in the automotive lidar market.
To push further growth of a company of the size of Ibeo in a very dynamic business environment, it is of key importance to have an agile management team. Therefore it seems logical to combine an experienced CEO with newcomers bringing valuable knowledge from other areas and companies.
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