(Frankfurt a. M., 02.01.2023) At the beginning of the anniversary year, Prof. Dr. Hans D. Schotten hands over the chairmanship of the Executive Board to his deputy Dr. Volker Ziegler – an important step from Schotten's point of view, which goes hand in hand with a sensible limitation of the term of office. When asked how successful VDE ITG is in defending its position on current issues, the 58-year-old says in retrospect: "If the timing was right and you were lucky enough to attract the attention of relevant decision-makers and the public with an issue, then it worked well. This was the case, for example, with the ITG position on technological sovereignty in 2021, which has had a lasting impact on today's definition."
Focus on digital transformation and image change
Dr. Volker Ziegler has been a member of the VDE since 1986 and took over as Deputy Chairman of VDE ITG in 2021. Ziegler is very well connected through his global technological leadership role at Nokia Strategy and Technology and also through his special involvement in selected EU and federal funding projects, his work in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and as spokesman for the "Communication Networks of the Future" expert panel of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy. As the new Chairman of the Board, the 58-year-old sees two key areas of activity for the technical society: "The focus is certainly on shaping the digital transformation, in particular the convergence of the physical and digital world. For example, this involves cloud-based networks, artificial intelligence, new wireless technologies and the use of new frequencies. We also need to correct the encrusted image that many people have of electrical engineering. This is the prerequisite for promoting the next generation of engineers.” In this context, it is important to realize that there are numerous overlaps with topics that Generation Z is concerned with. In Ziegler's view, these include not only sustainability and climate protection, but also security, the protection of privacy in the age of digital twins and ultimately the competitiveness of Germany as a business location - a prerequisite for maintaining prosperity and living standard.
Dr. Jörg-Peter Elbers becomes the new Deputy Chairman of VDE ITG Management Board
Dr. Jörg-Peter Elbers, who is responsible for research, standardization and intellectual property rights at Adtran, has been a member of the ITG Executive Board since 2020 and replaces Dr. Volker Ziegler as Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board. In addition to his activities as head of the ITG Communications Technology department (in German) and in the KT3 "Optical Communications Technology" technical committee, where he was head from 2011 to 2018, Elbers is also very active at an international level. The 52-year-old is a member of the steering committee of the European Technology Platform for Network Technology (Networld Europe) and the IEEE Photonic Society. His vision for VDE ITG is to establish the professional association as the "voice of technology that explains ICT technologies and their application in an understandable way and takes an objective position in current discussions". The promotion of technical-scientific exchange through conferences, workshops and new online formats, as well as strategies to get pupils interested in technology, are also on his agenda
The newly elected VDE ITG Board of Directors (in German)
Industry Group
- Dr.-Ing. Jörg-Peter Elbers Adtran Networks SE, Martinsried
- Dr.-Ing. Yvonne Weitsch, Rohde & Schwarz International GmbH, Munich
- Dr.-Ing. Volker Ziegler, Nokia Bell Labs, Munich
Science and Teaching Group
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Bauch, Hamburg University of Technology
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Tim Fingscheidt, Braunschweig University of Technology
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Tönjes, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences
Group of service providers, network operators and research institutes
- Dr.-Ing. Stefan Brüggenwirth, Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques FHR, Wachtberg
- Dr.-Ing. Andreas Gladisch, Deutsche Telekom AG, Berlin
- Prof. Dr. techn. habil. Rüdiger Quay, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics, Freiburg (IAF) / Department of Sustainable Systems Engineering (INATECH), University of Freiburg
