DFKI CEO Prof. Dr. Antonio Krüger thanked outgoing Supervisory Board Chairman Dr. Ferri Abolhassan: “The past three years have been marked by the successes of large language models and geopolitical decisions. Today, AI has become part of everyday life in industry and society. This also means that DFKI has had to address new challenges and set new priorities. Dear Dr. Abolhassan, thank you very much for your cooperation and the time you have devoted to DFKI as Chairman of the Supervisory Board, as well as CEO of T-Systems and member of the Deutsche Telekom Management Board. You have actively promoted and strategically supported DFKI's transfer spirit in recent years. You have been an important advisor and energetic sparring partner in this process. Together, we have succeeded in significantly sharpening DFKI's offering to German industry.”
Both the Supervisory Board Chairman and Deputy Chairwoman’s terms ended on November 3, 2025. Neither Dr. Ferri Abolhassan nor Elena Yorgova-Ramanauskas stood for reelection, but both will remain members of the DFKI Supervisory Board.
DFKI CEO Prof. Dr. Krüger welcomed the new Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Prof. Dr. Oscar-Werner Reif, Head of Corporate Research and Chief Technology Officer at Sartorius: “I am delighted that we have a new Chairman of the Supervisory Board in Prof. Dr. Oscar-Werner Reif, who comes from the field of knowledge-oriented and product-focused industrial research. Prof. Reif not only knows DFKI very well; he has also promoted successful collaboration in and with the Sartorius AI Lab (SAIL). SAIL was established in 2019 as part of the DFKI TransferLab initiative at DFKI Kaiserslautern to develop digital tools, powerful methods, and adaptive life science application solutions based on AI, which are successfully used for the further development of Sartorius products.”
After his election, Prof. Reif stated: "Like no other European organization of this size, DFKI has the potential to bring together industry and society in this important field of the future with its AI expertise. I look forward to working with all stakeholders.”
Prof. Reif has been a member of the Supervisory Board since September 25, 2020, representing DFKI shareholder Sartorius, and was elected to the DFKI Executive Committee in November 2022. Dr. Rumkorf has been a member of the DFKI Supervisory Board and Executive Committee since August 1, 2017, representing the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Science and Health.