Management

Stefan Schneider

Chairman of the Management Board, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Stefan Schneider, born in 1967, studied electrical and automation engineering at the Technical University of Ilmenau. After a period of study in the UK, he joined B & N Automation GmbH in 1993. He successfully completed several large projects as a project manager. In 1999, he became the sales manager of the automation division and then four years later he took on the overall responsibility for sales and management of the automation business as the automation division manager. When the production and technology business area was established in 2008, Stefan Schneider became the head of this division. In 2015, he was appointed to the management board. Since 2017, he has been the chairman of the management board and is responsible for production and technology at BN Automation AG.


Heiko Nikolaus

Member of the Management Board, Human Resources and Finance

Heiko Nikolaus, born in 1964, worked in different tax and audit firms after completing his course of studies. Between 1995 and 2002 he was an investment manager at Mittelständische Beteiligungsgesellschaft Thüringen and later at Dürr AG Stuttgart where he was responsible for the auditing, financing and business administrational development of medium-sized companies. Thereafter he was appointed head of the commercial division of r.z.w. cimdata AG, a provider of business administration software solutions. In December 2004, Heiko Nikolaus became the commercial manager of BN Automation AG. Since 2008, he has been the head of the human resources and finance division of BN Automation AG. In 2017, he was appointed to the management board and is responsible for human resources and finance at BN Automation AG.


Mario Winkler

Member of the Management Board, Marketing and Sales

Mario Winkler, born in 1967, studied electrical and automation engineering at the Technical University of Ilmenau after completing his vocational training in electronics. After his course of studies he was a project manager at Gebäude- und Prozessautomation GmbH in Erfurt and then joined B & N Automation GmbH in 1996. He successfully completed several large projects as a project manager before he became the head of the large project business department of the automation division in 1999. In 2003, he became the sales manager of the automation division. In 2011, he took over the management of the marketing and sales division. In 2017, Mario Winkler was appointed to the management board and is responsible for marketing and sales at BN Automation AG.


Dr. Jan Rudorfer

Founder

Jan Rudorfer, born in 1961, studied electrical and automation engineering at the Technische Hochschule of Ilmenau and did his doctorate here in the field of automation system planning in 1991. Together with Frank Bonitz and Jörg Neunast he founded B & N Automation GmbH in 1990. He developed the IT business area and was the head of this division until 2009. Since 2010, he has been responsible for technology and IT-related solutions at BN Automation AG. Jan Rudorfer is a member of the DWA's cyber security working group.