Former Škoda CIO Dr Ralf Brunken has been named director of AutoUni, one of two senior appointments announced by Volkswagen.
Volkswagen board member for human resources Gunnar Kilian said, “We are delighted to welcome Dr Ralf Brunken as the new director of the AutoUni. Thanks to his IT know-how, he will ensure that the AutoUni is well-prepared for the future with training in the fields of software and digitization.”
Brunken (below left) has a doctorate in mechanical engineering and joined the Volkswagen Group in 1986, beginning his career in R&D. He held various senior management posts at both Volkswagen and Audi before being appointed CIO at Volkswagen India in 2007. Brunken was subsequently CIO at Continental Automotive in Frankfurt from 2009 to 2012 and returned to Volkswagen in 2012, with responsibility for application development.
Brunken succeeds Prof. Dr Mark Gonter, who is moving to a new role with Audi. Gonter joined the Volkswagen Group in 1999. Having studied vehicle technologies in Hannover and with a PhD from Dresden, he became an honorary professor at TU Braunschweig. Gonter began his professional career at Autoliv. Having held several senior management positions in R&D, he became general manager at the AutoUni in 2013, and was subsequently appointed director in 2018.
In his new function he assumes responsibility for value analysis in the future fields of e-mobility, autonomous driving and connectivity in procurement at Audi.
