Stephan Winkelmann

Stephan Winkelmann (born 18 October 1964) is an automotive executive who served as President and CEO of Italian sports car manufacturer Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. for the past decade. Since March 15, 2016, Winkelmann is the new CEO of quattro GmbH.

Life
Stephan Winkelmann was born in Berlin on October 18, 1964 and grew up in Rome, Italy. He studied Political Science in Rome, earned his degree in Munich, and spent two years in the German Army as a paratrooper, leaving at the rank of lieutenant.

Career
In 1991, he started his professional career at the German financial institution MLP. In the following years, he focused his interests on the automotive industry, working first for Mercedes-Benz and then for Fiat Auto from 1994 to 2004 in marketing and sales, both in Italy and abroad. He was then appointed as CEO of Fiat Auto Austria, Switzerland and lastly Fiat Auto Germany. On 1 January 2005, Stephan Winkelmann was appointed President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. in Sant’Agata Bolognese (Italy). In early 2016 he left Lamborghini to join Audi's Quattro division.

Awards
In 2009, Stephan Winkelmann was awarded the decoration of Grand Officer in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Grande Ufficiale dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana). The award is a tribute to his commitment to relaunching the Italian marque, which has attained a leading position on the international automotive scene. On May 22, 2014 Stephan Winkelmann received the highest decoration in the Order of Merit of The Italian Republic, Knight Grand Cross. The decoration was awarded through the presidential “Motu Proprio” for the valued results achieved by Winkelmann as leader of one of the most important companies of Made in Italy.