Siemens names Peter Tollkuehn Middle East Chief Technology Officer

Siemens has appointed Peter Tollkuehn, (57) Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the company’s Middle East operations, and also head of the Qatar Innovation Center, effective September 1 2016. 

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.