Leadership

TÜV SÜD AG - Board of Management

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Axel Stepken
Chairman of the Board of Management, TÜV SÜD AG

Axel Stepken was born in Essen, Germany. He studied Electrical Engineering at RWTH Aachen and achieved his PhD in High-Voltage Engineering in 1989. 

Upon completion of his PhD, Axel Stepken worked at ABB, where he held several management positions in Germany and Indonesia within the Power Transmission and Distribution Segment. He joined TÜV SÜD AG in 2002 as Member of the Board of Management, responsible for the INDUSTRY Segment as well as the ASIA-PACIFIC Strategic Region. In June 2007, Axel Stepken was appointed Chairman of the Board of Management of TÜV SÜD AG

Prof. Dr. Matthias J. Rapp
Member of the Board of Management, TÜV SÜD AG

Born in 1967 in Schramberg/Schwarzwald (Black Forest), Matthias J. Rapp studied Business Administration at WHU (Otto Beisheim School of Management) Koblenz, ESC Lyon and Manchester Business School. He completed his doctorate at WHU Koblenz from 1992 to 1995. In summer 2021 Matthias J. Rapp was appointed Honorary Professor by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich).

Matthias J. Rapp started his professional career with the global management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group before moving to industry in 1997, where he has since held positions as Chief Financial Officer in several prestigious companies, most recently as CFO of Webasto SE. Matthias J. Rapp was appointed Member of the Board of Management of TÜV SÜD AG with effect from August 2013 and is responsible for Finance and Controlling.

Ishan Palit
Member of the Board of Management, TÜV SÜD AG

Ishan Palit was born in 1968 in Mumbai, India. He studied in the USA and the UK, and holds a Bachelors Degree from Davidson College, USA, a General Degree in Economics from the London School of Economics, UK and a Masters in Business Administration from Georgia Southern University, USA.

Ishan Palit started his career with the American multinational “Rotary Corporation”, a supplier to the Automotive and Small Engine industry. He joined the TÜV SÜD Group in 1994 and founded the TÜV SÜD operations in India. As COO and then the CEO, he was responsible for the successful development of TÜV SÜD Asia Pacific and was subsequently promoted to CEO of the Global Product Service Division. Ishan Palit was appointed as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the TÜV SÜD Group in May 2017, responsible for operations and sales across all Divisions and geographies.