On April 1, 2023, Dr. Dirk Voeste joined Volkswagen Group as its Chief Sustainability Officer. In this function he together with his team is responsible for the development and implementation for the Groups sustainability strategy, ESG-related topics and stakeholder relationship.
In 1994 Dirk graduated with a Ph.D. in biology from University Bonn in Germany and a M.Phil. from the Cranfield Institute of Technology in England. After his studies he was the scientist responsible for three space flight experiments in cooperation with NASA, USA. Since 1998 he has held various positions in the field of biotechnology, breeding and crop protection. Dirk joined BASF SE in 2001. Since 2012 Dirk lead BASFs corporate sustainability strategy and later on he has the responsibility as a Senior Vice President of Regulatory, Public Affairs & Sustainability for BASFs Agriculture Solutions