Roland Busch

Roland Busch
Busch in 2021
Roland Busch
Born	Roland Emil Busch 22 11, 1964
Birthplace	Erlangen, West Germany
Nationality	German
Occupation	Business executive, physicist
Title	CEO of Siemens AG (2021–present)
Known for	CEO and President of Siemens AG
Education	University of Erlangen–Nuremberg (PhD, 1993) University of Grenoble
Awards	Bavarian Order of Merit (2021)

Roland Emil Busch (born 22 November 1964) is a German business executive and physicist who serves as the chief executive officer and president of Siemens AG, one of the world's largest industrial manufacturing and technology companies. A trained quantum theorist who completed his doctoral thesis in physics in 1993, Busch joined Siemens in 1994 as a project manager in the company's global Research Department and rose through successive leadership positions over nearly three decades. He served as Chief Technology Officer of Siemens from 2016 to 2020 and as Deputy CEO from 2019 to 2021, before succeeding Joe Kaeser as CEO and President in February 2021. Under his leadership, Siemens has pursued a strategy centered on digitalization, industrial automation, and the application of artificial intelligence to manufacturing processes.

Early Life

Roland Emil Busch was born on 22 November 1964 in Erlangen, a city in the Franconia region of what was then West Germany. Erlangen is notably the location of the global headquarters of Siemens Healthineers and has long been a center for Siemens operations, giving the city a strong association with the company that Busch would eventually lead. Little has been publicly documented about Busch's family background or childhood beyond his place of birth.

Busch's academic interests oriented toward the natural sciences from an early stage. He pursued studies in physics, a field that would form the intellectual foundation for his later career in industrial technology and digitalization. His hometown's close ties to both academia and industrial research—through the presence of the University of Erlangen–Nuremberg and Siemens facilities—provided an environment in which scientific inquiry and engineering application were closely intertwined.

Education

Busch studied physics at the University of Erlangen–Nuremberg (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, or FAU), one of Germany's largest and oldest research universities. He also studied at the University of Grenoble in France, gaining international academic experience. His doctoral research focused on quantum theory, and he completed his thesis in 1993, earning a doctorate in physics from FAU. The university later highlighted his trajectory from quantum theorist to corporate leader as an example of the diverse career paths available to its graduates.

Busch's background in theoretical physics distinguished him from many of his peers in German corporate leadership, where executives more commonly hold degrees in engineering or business administration. His scientific training would later inform his approach to technology strategy at Siemens, particularly in areas such as simulation, digital twin technology, and data-driven industrial processes.

Career

Early Career at Siemens (1994–2011)

Busch joined Siemens in 1994, one year after completing his doctorate, taking a position as a project manager in the company's global Research Department. Over the following decades, he held a series of progressively senior positions across multiple divisions of the conglomerate. His career trajectory took him through various functional areas of the company, building expertise in both technology development and business management.

During this period, Siemens was undergoing significant organizational changes, expanding its digital and software capabilities while restructuring its traditional industrial businesses. Busch's background in physics and research positioned him to play a role in the company's evolving technology strategy.

Chief Technology Officer (2016–2020)

In 2016, Busch was appointed Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Siemens AG, a role in which he oversaw the company's technology and innovation strategy across its global operations. As CTO, he was responsible for guiding research and development priorities and advancing the company's digitalization agenda.

During his tenure as CTO, Busch became an outspoken advocate for the integration of digital technologies into industrial manufacturing. In interviews with Indian media outlets, he discussed the potential of digitalization for manufacturing economies, stating that "digitalisation is not about taking away jobs" but rather about enhancing productivity and creating new forms of value. He also commented on manufacturing initiatives such as Make in India, noting that the program "still has a long way to go" while expressing confidence in India's long-term potential as a manufacturing hub.

Deputy CEO and Transition (2019–2021)

In 2019, Busch was elevated to the position of Deputy CEO of Siemens AG, serving alongside CEO Joe Kaeser. This appointment signaled that Busch was being prepared as Kaeser's successor. In March 2020, the Siemens Supervisory Board formally designated Busch as the next CEO, with the transition planned for early 2021. The appointment was seen as a continuation and acceleration of Siemens' digital transformation strategy, given Busch's technology-focused background and his role in shaping the company's digitalization efforts.

The transition period coincided with a major restructuring of the Siemens corporate portfolio. Under Kaeser's leadership, the company had spun off its energy business into Siemens Energy as a separately listed entity in September 2020, and its healthcare operations had already been partially separated through the listing of Siemens Healthineers. Busch inherited a more focused Siemens, concentrated on industrial automation, smart infrastructure, digital industries, and mobility.

CEO of Siemens AG (2021–present)

Roland Busch officially assumed the role of CEO and President of Siemens AG on 3 February 2021, succeeding Joe Kaeser. Upon taking office, he articulated a vision focused on combining the physical and digital worlds—what he described as merging "the real and the digital."

Digitalization and the Industrial Metaverse

A central element of Busch's strategy as CEO has been the advancement of digital twin technology and industrial simulation platforms. In July 2022, Siemens announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to enable what the companies termed the "industrial metaverse," combining Siemens' Xcelerator platform with NVIDIA's Omniverse to create photorealistic digital twins of factories, buildings, and infrastructure systems. This partnership represented a significant step in Siemens' effort to position itself at the intersection of physical manufacturing and digital simulation.

Busch has consistently framed Siemens' strategic direction around the convergence of operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT). In a July 2021 interview, he discussed his approach to leading the company at this intersection, emphasizing the importance of software platforms, cloud connectivity, and data analytics in enhancing industrial productivity.

Artificial Intelligence and Factory Automation

Under Busch's leadership, Siemens has increasingly emphasized the application of artificial intelligence to industrial processes. In mid-2025, Busch publicly stated that Germany should leverage the extensive data generated by its industrial companies to advance AI capabilities, positioning the country's manufacturing base as an asset in the global AI race.

In November 2025, Siemens announced that Busch would deliver a keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 in Las Vegas, marking the company's first CES keynote. The presentation was designed to showcase Siemens' "industrial tech stack for the AI era," with demonstrations of AI-powered manufacturing technologies and partnerships with NVIDIA, Microsoft, PepsiCo, and Commonwealth Fusion Systems. The keynote was positioned as a demonstration of how industrial AI could transform sectors including manufacturing, energy, and infrastructure.

Humanoid Robotics and Autonomous Systems

In early 2026, Siemens under Busch's direction began testing humanoid robots equipped with autonomous navigation software in live production environments. This initiative represented an extension of the company's automation strategy into advanced robotics, moving beyond traditional industrial robots toward more versatile autonomous systems capable of operating in unstructured factory settings.

Data Center and Electrification Demand

Busch has addressed the growing demand for electrification products driven by the expansion of data centers, particularly in the United States. In February 2026, he described demand from U.S. data centers as "very strong," noting that the proliferation of AI workloads was driving significant investment in power infrastructure and creating new opportunities for Siemens' electrification and automation businesses.

Trade and Geopolitical Commentary

As CEO of a major global industrial company, Busch has engaged publicly with questions of international trade policy. In early 2026, he discussed topics including AI-powered factories, tariffs during the Trump administration, international trade dynamics, and the future of NATO in a podcast interview, reflecting the degree to which geopolitical considerations have become central to the operations of multinational industrial companies.

Board Memberships

In addition to his role at Siemens, Busch has served on the boards of other major corporations. In April 2024, Munich Re announced that Busch had been elected to a position related to the company's governance.

Personal Life

Busch maintains a relatively private personal life. He was born and raised in Erlangen, the same city where Siemens has major operations, creating a lifelong geographic connection between his personal roots and his professional career.

In 2025, Busch shared publicly that he maintains a regular workout routine, noting the importance of physical fitness and discipline given the demands of his schedule as CEO of a major global corporation. The disclosure came in response to questions from followers on LinkedIn.

Recognition

In 2021, Busch received the Bavarian Order of Merit (Bayerischer Verdienstorden), one of the highest honors bestowed by the Free State of Bavaria. The award was presented by Markus Söder, the Minister-President of Bavaria, in recognition of Busch's contributions to the state's economy and industrial landscape.

Business Chief published a profile of Busch under the heading "Lifetime of Achievement," documenting his career trajectory from researcher to CEO and noting his influence on Siemens' digital transformation strategy.

His selection to deliver the CES 2026 keynote—the first by a Siemens CEO at the consumer electronics trade show—was noted by industry observers as an indication of the growing convergence between industrial technology and the broader technology sector. The keynote featured collaborations with some of the largest names in technology and energy, including NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Commonwealth Fusion Systems.

Legacy

Roland Busch's tenure as CEO of Siemens AG has been defined by a strategic reorientation of the company toward software, digitalization, and artificial intelligence within the industrial sector. Taking the helm of a company that had already undergone significant restructuring under his predecessor—including the spinoffs of Siemens Energy and the partial separation of Siemens Healthineers—Busch focused the remaining enterprise on its core competencies in digital industries, smart infrastructure, and mobility.

His background as a physicist with a doctorate in quantum theory set him apart within the landscape of German corporate leadership, where his scientific orientation informed an approach to strategy that emphasized data, simulation, and technology platforms. The NVIDIA partnership to develop the industrial metaverse, the push into AI-driven manufacturing, and the exploration of humanoid robotics represent key strategic initiatives under his leadership.

Busch's public commentary on the potential of Germany's industrial data for AI development reflected a broader argument about the competitive advantages of established manufacturing economies in the era of artificial intelligence—the notion that decades of operational data from factories, power grids, and transportation systems represent a valuable and underutilized resource.

As of early 2026, under Busch's leadership, Siemens has positioned itself as a company operating at the intersection of physical infrastructure and digital technology, seeking to apply AI, automation, and simulation tools to industrial processes on a global scale.