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Renate Vachenauer got her money’s worth by studying Electrical Engineering at TUM and then completing her doctorate in electrical drives at the Chair of Electrical Machines and Devices. The very broad spectrum of research topics within the framework of special research areas and other third-party funded projects increased her interest in cars, control engineering and electromobility. She also realized how much she enjoys interdisciplinary work: “At TUM, I learned to transfer solution principles from one specialist area to another and to work efficiently in a team,” she says. “I still benefit from this today.”

I am a real “car girl”

Renate Vachenauer completed her doctorate in 1999. As the chair had research collaborations with BMW on the topic of e-mobility at the time, she decided to go into the automotive industry. For more than twenty years, she held various project and management positions at BMW, where she was responsible for the development of innovative systems and functions, among other things.

Renate Vachenauer was always able to count on the unrestricted support of her family as she progressed in her career, whether at home or abroad. When their daughter was born in 2000, she shared parental leave with her husband. “He was actively involved in bringing up the children,” she recalls. “My husband supports me and has always supported me.”

Renate Vachenauer is impressed by the passion with which the “Audi people” are passionate about their products. “Especially in my procurement team, I feel a strong team spirit every day,” she says. Her own aspirations as a leader are therefore falling on fertile ground. “I really enjoy developing my teams and individual employees and motivating them to perform at their best.”

Diversity in All Its Facets

With the transition to electric mobility and digitalization, the automotive industry is facing the biggest transformation in its history – in an environment with many new competitors and global and geopolitical challenges. Renate Vachenauer sees these complex conditions as a challenge to successfully lead Audi into the future. The fact that she is operating in a male-dominated environment is nothing new for her.

The TUM Alumna has always been used to being one of the few women among men, whether in high school, during her studies or in her many years in management positions in important areas of technical development in the automotive industry. “I grew up with it,” she says, ”so I never saw it as a problem or as anything special.”

Against the background of her own positive experiences, Renate Vachenauer sees diversity in the work context and especially for management teams as a great enrichment. “In my professional career, I have repeatedly found that decisions made by diverse teams – and we’re not just talking about women here – are sustainable and stable in the long term,” she says. ”That’s why I promote diversity in all its facets.”