Siemens names Peter Tollkuehn Middle East Chief Technology Officer

Previously Head of Technology Field Systems Engineering at Siemens Corporate Technology in Munich, Tollkuehn brings 25 years’ experience in building successful research and development teams across the world, including in Russia, China and the USA. In the Middle East, he will focus on strategic projects which drive economic development through innovation in energy, water, industrial diversification and sustainability.

“Increasingly diversified knowledge-based economies require home-grown research, development and innovation to be truly sustainable,” said Dietmar Siersdorfer, CEO, Siemens Middle East and UAE. “Tollkuehn’s global experience in nurturing local talent and fostering innovation culture will be invaluable as we continue to support sustainable economic growth in the Middle East.”

Tollkuehn will expand Siemens’ cooperation with education and research institutes across the region, leveraging the company’s global innovation and R&D network to advance local competences. As head of the Qatar Innovation Center he is responsible for a research facility which develops globally-adopted energy technology, manages regional pilot projects and undertakes software development, automation engineering and data analytics in healthcare, smart grid, water technology and mobility. He will continue to expand the activities of the center in order to contribute to the education and R&D ecosystem in Qatar and beyond.

“The way we live and do business is changing; digitalization is merging the virtual and physical worlds, and this transformation requires innovative thinking and collaboration with like-minded partners,” said Tollkuehn. “In the Middle East we have developed close partnerships with world-class education and research establishments, and we are committed to leveraging these to drive real local value for a sustainable future in the region.”

Within the overall R&D umbrella, Siemens’ Corporate Technology is the company’s central research and development unit and its mission is to shape the future through research, technology and innovation. Siemens has more than 32,000 employees working in research and development, and in fiscal year 2015 the company spent €4.5 billion on R&D, resulting in 7,650 inventions and 3,700 patent applications.

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. The company is active in more than200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is No. 1 in offshore wind turbine construction, a leading supplier of gas and steam turbines for power generation, a major provider of power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2015, which ended on September 30, 2015, Siemens generated revenue of €75.6 billion and net income of €7.4 billion. At the end of September 2015, the company had around 348,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.