Most powerful women in German business: Managers from Mercedes, Daimler and Porsche are also represented

Created: 12/16/2022 3:33 p.m

By: Julian Baumann

Among the 100 most influential women in the German economy are several female managers from Baden-Württemberg, who have particularly distinguished themselves in the very challenging year 2022.

Stuttgart – The year 2022 was anything but easy for the German economy.

The consequences of the Ukraine war - such as the energy crisis, the shortage of raw materials and the interrupted supply chains - posed major challenges for many companies. In difficult times, managers and executives are particularly challenged and, despite persistent prejudices, they no longer consist only of men , but also of influential women.

, together with the Boston Consulting Group, launched the “The 100 Most Influential Women in German Business” initiative

.

The aim of the initiative is to select women in various positions as role models and to highlight their influence over the past year.

This year, the magazine once again chose the list of the 100 most influential women in German business, among which again female business managers in Baden-Württemberg are to be found, about whom BW24 reports.

Head of Purchasing at Porsche Frenkel and all three female board members at Mercedes-Benz are on the list

Martina Merz, the CEO of the ThyssenKrupp steel group, is often referred to as the "most powerful woman in the German economy" and through positions in the management of Bosch she certainly had an influence on the economy in Baden-Württemberg.

This year, however, she was part of the jury team.

However, several other influential women from Baden-Württemberg companies made it onto the list, and above all from the car industry, which is still very much dominated by men.

With Barbara Frenkel, the category "Female Managers" includes a businesswoman who was particularly challenged this year due to the current economic situation.

Porsche Head of Purchasing Barbara Frenkel is the first and only woman on the board of the sports car manufacturer from Stuttgart.

© Porsche AG

The head of purchasing at the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer Porsche, the only and first woman on the board, maneuvered the legendary car manufacturer through the crisis almost unscathed, as shown by Porsche's delivery figures, which the company was able to increase in the first nine months of the year despite massive problems.

The procurement department is of immense importance for the luxury brand, the purchasing manager has a capacity of nine billion euros per year.

In addition, Barbara Frenkel, together with the rest of the board, very successfully brought the VW subsidiary public in 2022.

In addition to the head of purchasing at Porsche, all three female board members of the Stuttgart car group Mercedes-Benz are also represented in the "Female Managers" category.

As the board member responsible for integrity and law, Renata Jungo Brüngger from Switzerland has been “the law at Mercedes-Benz” since 2016, as

called it.

This year, the manager dealt with the extremely important topics of sustainability and the supply chain law.

Since December 1, 2021, Sabine Kohleisen has had a particularly important role as HR Director and Labor Director of what is next to Bosch the most important employer in the region and far beyond.

Britta Seeger (left), Renata Jungo Brüngger (centre) and Sabine Kohleisen (right) represent all three female board members of Mercedes-Benz.

© Mercedes-Benz AG (photomontage: BW24).

The third manager from Mercedes-Benz, who can be found in this year's list of the 100 most influential women in the German economy, is probably the face of the large car company, alongside Mercedes boss Ola Källenius and development boss Markus Schäfer.

As Head of Sales, Britta Seeger is responsible for ensuring that the Mercedes-Benz models reach the customers.

The manager has been in her office since 2017 and is highly regarded within the group.

Also on the list's "watch list" is Bettina Fetzer, Head of Marketing at Mercedes-Benz, who plays an important role in the group's luxury strategy.

In addition to the three female board members and the head of marketing at Mercedes-Benz, Karin Rådström, a board member of sister company Daimler Truck, also made it onto the list.

At the world's largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, the Swede has the difficult task of making the Mercedes-Benz truck brand more sustainable and at the same time more profitable.

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Away from the car industry: influential women in important companies in Baden-Württemberg

In addition to the representatives of the automotive industry, which is known to be particularly strong in Baden-Württemberg, other female executives from the economy in the south-west have also made it onto the list of

.

As a board member of SAP, the former Microsoft manager Julia White is supposed to get the software company from Walldorf (Rhein-Neckar-Kreis) back on track.

The largest European software group was sometimes criticized this year because SAP was hesitant to stop its business with Russia after Russia's attack on Ukraine.

Antje von Dewitz, head of the outdoor and sports outfitter Vaude, relies on sustainable management.

© Felix Kästle/dpa

The head of the outdoor and sports outfitter Vaude, headquartered in Obereisenbach near Tettnang (Lake Constance district), can also be found in the list.

There it says about Antje von Dewitz that there is probably no one in Germany who invests in sustainable management so credibly and at the same time promotes it so vehemently.

Bettina Würth, chairwoman of the advisory board at the Würth screw company and daughter of billionaire Reinhold Würth, can also be found in the list.

Nicola Leibingen-Kammüller, the head of the Trumpf family business from Ditzingen near Stuttgart, was honored by Manager Magazin along with four other women for their life's work and was inducted into the Hall of Fame.