Sabine Klauke (born July 7, 1973, in Aachen) is a German aerospace executive who is chief technology officer (CTO) for Airbus and executive vice president (EVP) engineering for its commercial aircraft business. As such, she is also a member of the company's executive committee since July 2021.[1][2][3]

Early life and education

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Sabine Klauke studied mechanical engineering at the technical university TU Dresden and INSA Hauts de France (formerly known as École Nationale Supérieure d’Ingénieurs en Mécanique Énergétique in Valenciennes (ENSIMEV)),[4] pursuing her passion for mathematics, optimisation and its practical applications. She holds a PhD in mechanical engineering from TU Dresden focusing on digital concurrent engineering processes between manufacturing and engineering and the optimization of factory design processes.[1]

Career

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Klauke began her professional career in 1998 at the mid-sized company DELMIA, a brand of Dassault Systèmes, where she was responsible for the deployment of digital manufacturing software as well as consulting projects with customers in the automotive and the aerospace industries worldwide.

In 2002 Klauke joined Airbus, where she held various management and executive positions in the commercial aircraft business of the company, working with international teams in France and Germany, Great Britain and Spain on core new aircraft projects such as the A380 megaliner and the A350.

From 2015 to 2018 she served as an executive in the aftermarket segment of the company, ensuring the safe and reliable operations of the worldwide fleet with the customers as Head of Programmes Customer Services. Her responsibility was first for the A330/A340 programmes and grew then to the overall worldwide Airbus fleet.[5][6][1][7]

In 2018, she was appointed executive vice president engineering within Airbus Defence and Space and member of the division's executive committee. In this capacity, she was responsible for all engineering activities within the Defence and Space division, including research and technology and innovation.[8][9][1]

In July 2021, Klauke was appointed chief technical officer (CTO) of Airbus, in charge of the Technology & Engineering department. As such, she drives the company's ambition to deliver technologies enabling a sustainable future of aerospace[10] leading a team of more than 13,000 employees across the globe, who design, develop, certify and ensure continuous airworthiness of all Commercial Aircraft products and services as well as the technology  path for the overall Group.[11][12]

Since 2024, she is chief technology officer for Airbus and executive vice president engineering of its commercial aircraft business.[3]

Klauke also grew her responsibility in industry associations, such as VDI and BDLI.

Today, in addition to her mission as Airbus CTO, Klauke has the following mandates:

  • Co-chair of the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (CAJU)
  • Vice president aviation for the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI)
  • Chairperson of the supervisory board of Airbus GmbH in Germany.[7][13][14][15]

In 2024, Klauke became a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS)[16] and was named the “most influential woman in the German economy 2023” by the German economic newspaper manager magazin.[17]

Personal life

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Klauke is married with two children and lives in Toulouse. She enjoys being in contact with nature and getting energy from outdoor activities, such as hiking in the mountains. As a former saxophone player, attending music events is still one of her preferred pastimes.[18][19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Airbus. "Biography" (PDF). www.airbus.com. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  2. ^ "Dr. Sabine Klauke - Münchner Management Kolloquium" (in German). Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  3. ^ a b "Sabine Klauke Chief Technology Officer". airbus.com. 17 December 2023. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  4. ^ transculturalleadershipsummit (2019-04-22). "TLS 2019 I Introducing our speakers". Transcultural Leadership Summit. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  5. ^ "Dr. Sabine Klauke – Münchner Management Kolloquium" (in German). Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  6. ^ transculturalleadershipsummit (2019-04-22). "TLS 2019 I Introducing our speakers". Transcultural Leadership Summit. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  7. ^ a b Airbus. "Our Governance – Sabine Klauke". www.airbus.com. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  8. ^ "Sabine Klauke appointed Head of Engineering for Airbus Defence and Space | Times Aerospace". www.timesaerospace.aero. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  9. ^ "Airbus Defence and Space appoints Sabine Klauke". SatellitePro ME. 2018-07-04. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  10. ^ "ILA 24 Homepage | ILA Berlin". www.ila-berlin.de. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  11. ^ Flottau, Jens (2021-09-22). "Wie Airbus das Fliegen von morgen neu erfindet". Süddeutsche.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  12. ^ Kiani-Kreß, Rüdiger (2022-11-26). "Airbus: "Wir stehen vor der größten Herausforderung unserer Geschichte"". www.wiwo.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  13. ^ Clean Aviation (16 December 2021). "First Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking Governing Board welcomes new members and agrees on pathway towards climate-neutral aviation".
  14. ^ "Vorstand & Präsidium | BDLI". www.bdli.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  15. ^ "Impressum – Premium AEROTEC". www.premium-aerotec.com. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  16. ^ "Sabine Klauke on LinkedIn: #aerospace | 52 comments". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  17. ^ Buchhorn, Eva; Machatschke, Michael (2023-12-20). "Wir stecken mitten in der vierten Revolution des Fliegens". manager magazin.
  18. ^ Cwiertnia, Laura; Heuser, Uwe Jean (2021-12-10). "Airbus: Warum nicht jetzt, Frau Klauke?". Die Zeit (in German). ISSN 0044-2070. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  19. ^ Kiani-Kreß, Rüdiger (2022-11-25). "Sabine Klauke: Das ist die Frau, die der Klimarevolution bei Airbus Flügel verleihen soll". www.wiwo.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-10-23.