In May 2019 Arwed Niestroj has been assigned Chief Operating Officer of Sakuu Corporation (formerly KeraCel Inc.), a disrupting solid state battery startup. He has been a member of the Advisory Board of renu ventures since 2018, advising the fund on investments in the industry, automotive, digital technology, mobility and energy sectors. Arwed is a member of the advisory board of HyPoint Inc.

 

In 2018 he was responsible for the global innovation hubs and digital transformation of ZF Friedrichshafen AG globally, driving the company’s innovation and transformation efforts.

 

From December 2014 to 2017 Arwed Niestroj was CEO of Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America (MBRDNA) in California, comprising all R&D activities of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars in North America, ranging from technology research, digital technologies, self-driving cars, powertrain engineering, testing, software design to vehicle design.

 

In November 2011 Arwed Niestroj was founding managing director of the Daimler-Bosch joint venture EM-motive GmbH in Germany- developing and manufacturing electric motors for vehicle powertrains - that he ramped up until end of 2014 as Managing Director.

 

From 2008 to 2011 he was responsible for Fuel Cell Vehicle Fleet Operations at Daimler AG. Within that period he was project manager for the “F-CELL World Drive” – the world’s first circumnavigation with fuel cell vehicles. In 2007 and 2008 he was Program Manager for “Generation 2 full hybrid systems” at Daimler’s Hybrid Development Center in Troy, Michigan, USA.

From 2003 to 2007 Arwed Niestroj was executive assistant and chief of staff of the Daimler board member for Group Research and Development Mercedes Car Group.