The Council also appointed Dietmar Pilz as the new Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality. A German national, Dietmar Pilz has worked in the aerospace industry for the past 23 years. He is currently with Airbus Defence & Space at Immenstaad, Germany, as Head of Space Chief Engineering and Products, as well as Head of Site for Friedrichshafen. Previously at Airbus, he was Head of AstroBus and EO/Science/Exploration, and Head of Payloads and Life Support Systems.

With the former EADS, Dietmar Pilz worked in various technical and project management positions in Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Germany. With a PhD and Diploma in Electrical Engineering, he was a research scientist at Rockwell Scientific in Thousand Oaks, USA, before joining EADS.

He will succeed Torben Henriksen, who served as acting D/TEC for the past year. During that time, Torben Henriksen led ESA’s initiatives driving the longer-term technology development – including generic technologies bringing benefit for all technical domains – while also supporting research and development infrastructure such as laboratories, test facilities and specialist sections covering every aspect of the space environment.

Detailed biography.