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Leadership History

Siemens: CEO History

7 leaders · 1981 to present

Who is the CEO of Siemens?

Roland Busch is the CEO of Siemens, in the role since 2021. The first chief executive was Karlheinz Kaske, from 1981.

Current CEO
Roland Busch (since 2021)
First CEO
Karlheinz Kaske (1981)
Leaders documented
7
Founded
1847
NameRoleFromToYears in role
Roland BuschPresident and CEO2021Present5
Joe KaeserPresident and CEO201320218
Peter LoescherPresident and CEO200720136
Peter LöscherChief Executive Officer200720136
Klaus KleinfeldPresident and CEO200520072
Heinrich von PiererChief Executive Officer200520072
Karlheinz KaskeChief Executive Officer1981199211
Who was CEO of Siemens before Roland Busch?
Joe Kaeser was CEO of Siemens from 2013 to 2021, before Roland Busch took over in 2021.

Company Overview

Siemens supplies much of the equipment and software behind factories, power distribution, buildings and railways. Its controllers run assembly lines, its software designs cars and chips, its switchgear feeds data centers and its trains and signaling run on networks across Europe, the US and India. Around 318,000 people work for the group, which is headquartered in Munich. The company is headquartered in Munich, Germany.

Roland Busch

President and CEO

2021 – Present

5 years (current)

Key Decisions & Impact

Busch, who holds a doctorate in physics, joined Siemens in 1994 and rose through corporate research and development, automotive technology, process management, and corporate strategy roles before succeeding Joe Kaeser as CEO in 2021. He has continued Siemens' software-driven strategy, overseeing the roughly $10 billion Altair Engineering acquisition in 2025 to deepen the company's simulation and AI-design capabilities.

Legacy

Under Busch, Siemens grew FY2025 revenue to ~$89.2 billion (EUR78.914 billion) (up from ~$84.6 billion (EUR74.882 billion) in FY2023) while continuing to shift the company's profit mix toward higher-margin industrial software. Under his leadership Siemens has also expanded partnerships in industrial AI, positioning the Xcelerator software platform as a foundation for AI-driven factory and infrastructure design. He has also overseen Siemens' continued exposure to China, a market that remains simultaneously one of the company's largest revenue sources and a source of geopolitical risk given rising trade tensions between China and Western economies during his tenure. He has framed Siemens long-term strategy around being a technology partner for both the energy transition and industrial digitalization simultaneously, rather than choosing between the two priorities.

Joe Kaeser

President and CEO

2013 – 2021

8 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Kaeser spent more than 40 years at Siemens, becoming CEO in 2013 after roles including CFO, and used his eight-year tenure to simplify Siemens' sprawling conglomerate structure, most notably spinning off Siemens Energy as an independent public company in 2020 and listing Siemens Healthineers in 2018 while retaining a majority stake.

Legacy

Kaeser's portfolio simplification set up Siemens' current focus on digital industrial technology, and he handed the CEO role to Roland Busch in 2021 with the energy and healthcare spin-offs already largely complete. He later became chairman of the supervisory board of Daimler Truck after leaving Siemens' CEO role. Kaeser was also known for his willingness to publicly engage on political and social issues during his CEO tenure, a departure from the traditionally more reserved public posture of German industrial executives.

Peter Loescher

President and CEO

2007 – 2013

6 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Loescher became the first outsider to lead Siemens in 2007, during the bribery scandal. He restructured the group around Industry, Energy and Healthcare sectors and cut jobs.

Legacy

He led Siemens through the 2008-2009 financial crisis and into a programme of cost reductions. The supervisory board replaced him in 2013 after repeated profit-guidance cuts, and Joe Kaeser took over.

Peter Löscher

Chief Executive Officer

2007 – 2013

6 years

Legacy

Peter Löscher served as chief executive of Siemens AG from 2007 to 2013.

Klaus Kleinfeld

President and CEO

2005 – 2007

2 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Kleinfeld became chief executive in 2005, succeeding Heinrich von Pierer. He sold the mobile-phone business to BenQ in 2005 and pushed Siemens toward higher-margin businesses.

Legacy

Kleinfeld resigned in 2007 as the company faced a bribery investigation, and Peter Loescher succeeded him.

Heinrich von Pierer

Chief Executive Officer

2005 – 2007

2 years

Legacy

Heinrich von Pierer served as chief executive of Siemens AG from 2005 to 2007.

Karlheinz Kaske

Chief Executive Officer

1981 – 1992

11 years

Legacy

Karlheinz Kaske served as chief executive of Siemens AG from 1981 to 1992.

Challenges & Strategic Context

Siemens faces cyclical automation demand, China exposure, complex software integration, healthcare portfolio volatility, tariff uncertainty and competition from industrial automation, infrastructure and software peers.

Siemens CEO and Leadership FAQ

Who is the current President and CEO of Siemens AG?

Dr. Roland Busch has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens AG since February 2021.

What is Roland Busch's background and education?

Roland Busch holds a doctorate in physics from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and joined Siemens in 1994 as a research scientist. Over nearly three decades, he led corporate strategy, Siemens Mobility, Smart Infrastructure, and served as Chief Technology Officer and COO before becoming CEO.

Who was Joe Kaeser and what was his impact as CEO from 2013 to 2021?

Joe Kaeser was the master financial architect who restructured Siemens through his "Vision 2020" and "Vision 2020+" plans. He eliminated the traditional conglomerate structure, orchestrated the successful spinoffs of Siemens Healthineers and Siemens Energy, and focused Siemens AG on high-margin digital enterprise software.

Who was Peter Löscher and why was his leadership historic?

Peter Löscher served as CEO from 2007 to 2013, making history as the first outside CEO in Siemens's 160-year history. Brought in from pharmaceutical giant Merck following the 2006 bribery scandal, Löscher restored global integrity, implemented an industry-leading compliance system, and rebuilt trust with regulators.

Who was Heinrich von Pierer in Siemens's corporate history?

Heinrich von Pierer served as CEO from 1992 to 2005. A charismatic corporate titan and economic advisor to German chancellors, he expanded Siemens heavily into telecommunications and emerging markets across Asia before resigning during the compliance investigation.

Who is Jim Hagemann Snabe and what is his role at Siemens?

Jim Hagemann Snabe, the former co-CEO of enterprise software giant SAP, has served as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Siemens AG since 2018, bringing profound enterprise cloud software and digital transformation expertise to board governance.

How did Roland Busch accelerate Siemens's digital transformation?

Roland Busch launched the open digital business platform Siemens Xcelerator, forged historic AI partnerships with Nvidia and Microsoft, and executed the landmark $10.6 billion acquisition of Altair Engineering to cement Siemens's dominance in industrial AI.

Who was Werner von Siemens and what was his leadership philosophy?

Werner von Siemens led the company from 1847 until his retirement in 1890. He is famous for establishing visionary employee welfare benefits—including profit sharing, an employee pension fund in 1872, and the nine-hour workday—stating: "I will not sell our future for a short-term profit."

Who are key senior executives working alongside Roland Busch?

The Managing Board includes Dr. Ralf P. Thomas (long-serving Chief Financial Officer), Cedrik Neike (CEO of Digital Industries), Matthias Rebellius (CEO of Smart Infrastructure), and Michael Peter (CEO of Siemens Mobility).

How does Roland Busch manage the balance between hardware and software?

Busch emphasizes that software alone cannot run the world: real value is created at the intersection where Siemens connects digital software twins to physical industrial hardware on factory floors, electrical grids, and high-speed rail lines.

What awards and recognitions has Roland Busch received?

Roland Busch is recognized as one of Europe's top industrial leaders, serving as Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business (APA) and an active advocate for transatlantic technology collaboration.

What is Roland Busch's mandate for Siemens in the next decade?

Busch aims to compound high-margin software ARR, scale industrial artificial intelligence across global manufacturing, and maintain Siemens as the indispensable engine of global industrial decarbonization.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.