Tom Enders
Thomas Enders | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 21, 1958 Neuschlade, Germany |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Known for | CEO of Airbus (2012–2019), President of German Council on Foreign Relations (since 2019) |
Thomas Enders (born December 21, 1958) is a German business executive who led Airbus (previously EADS and Airbus Group) as chief executive from 2012 until 2019. Since 2019, he has held the position of president at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP).
Early life and education
Born in Neuschlade, Germany, Enders is the son of a shepherd. He pursued studies in economics, political science, and history at the University of Bonn and University of California, Los Angeles. At age 28, supported by a Konrad Adenauer Foundation scholarship, he completed a doctorate in political science.
Career
Enders started his professional journey as an assistant within the German Parliament. In 1988, he joined the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and also worked with the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Additionally, he serves as a Major in the German Army Reserve and was part of the planning staff at the Federal Ministry of Defence from 1989 to 1991.
His tenure at DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (DASA) began in 1991, where he progressed through several positions before leading the defence and security systems division during the 2000 merger that formed EADS. In 2005, Enders was appointed co-CEO of EADS but resigned in 2007 following governance reforms that eliminated dual CEO roles. He was then named CEO of Airbus SAS, managing commercial aircraft operations. During his leadership, Airbus introduced the A320neo in 2010, a move that prompted Boeing to respond with the development of the 737 MAX.
In May 2012, Enders assumed the role of CEO at EADS. He sought to merge with UK-based BAE Systems to establish a leading defence firm; however, political challenges prevented this merger. Enders focused on integrating Airbus with other group units and assumed oversight of the CSeries program. Later that year, shareholders including Daimler AG, Lagardère Group, and the French government restructured governance to diminish political control, shifting authority to the Board and Executive Management. After reassessing strategy following the failed BAE merger, Enders rebranded EADS as Airbus Group in January 2014.
Although planning to extend his leadership in 2019, Enders resigned amid investigations into corruption. By then, he had been recognized for unifying Airbus’s multinational operations and refining governance structures to reduce political influence.
In January 2021, Enders joined the advisory board of aerospace start-up Lilium. By June 2021, he was appointed Chairman of Lilium’s Board in anticipation of its business combination with Qell.
Role in politics
Throughout his career, Enders often found himself at odds with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s administration regarding industrial and defense strategies. He left the conservative CSU due to Germany's opposition to the 2011 military intervention in Libya. Nevertheless, he frequently accompanied Merkel on international diplomatic visits. Domestically, he chaired the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI) from 2005 to 2012 and was part of the presidium at the Federation of German Industries (BDI).
Under UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Enders participated as Airbus CEO—and later as EADS CEO—in the Business and Advisory Group. Between 2010 and 2011, he contributed to the High-Level Group on Aviation and Aeronautics Research initiated by European Commissioners Siim Kallas and Máire Geoghegan-Quinn. Since 2015, he has been a member of the European Commission’s High-level Group of Personalities on Defence Research chaired by Elżbieta Bieńkowska.
Controversy
Enders encountered criticism regarding Airbus's sales methods after discrepancies were discovered in reports submitted to U.S. authorities concerning arms technology transactions. Additionally, he faced backlash for overseeing compliance reviews that led to the departure of several top executives without any concrete accusations.
In 2017, Austrian prosecutors included Enders in an inquiry related to suspected fraud involving a €2 billion contract for 18 Eurofighter aircraft. When confronted with allegations from Austrian Defense Minister Hans Peter Doskozil, Enders rejected them as mere "cheap election rhetoric" and opposed the politicization of Airbus.
Later that year, French anti-corruption officials summoned Enders and other company leaders as witnesses during a probe into the 2010 sale of Astrium satellites to Kazakhstan.
Government agencies
- Economic Development Board (EDB), Participant on the International Advisory Council
Corporate boards
- Helsing, Supervisory Board Member (since 2022)
- Lilium, Supervisory Board Member (since 2021)
- Linde, Deputy Chair of the Supervisory Board (since 2017)
- HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt, Advisory Board Member (since 2012)
- Lufthansa, Supervisory Board Member (2020–2025)
- Knorr-Bremse, Supervisory Board Member (2020–2022)
- Carl Zeiss Optronics, Chair of the Supervisory Board (until 2012)
Non-profit organizations
- AmCham Germany, Board of Directors Member
- AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe, Board Member
- Atlantik-Brücke, Member and former Chairperson (2005–2009)
- Atlantic Council, International Advisory Board Member
- Berlin Bosphorus Initiative (BBI), Advisory Board Member
- Bilderberg Group, Steering Committee Member
- German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), Steering Committee Member
- Deutsches Museum, Trustee Board Member
- International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Advisory Council Member
- Max Planck Society, Senate Member (since 2014)
- Munich Security Conference, Advisory Council Member (since 2014)
- Federation of German Industries (BDI), Presidium Member (2009–2019)
Recognition
- 2014 – Awarded European Manager of the Year
- 2015 – Recipient of the Legion of Honour
- 2017 – Named Aviation Week Person of the Year
- 2019 – Honored with the Tony Jannus Award for exceptional contributions to commercial air transport
- 2019 – Co-recipient of the Aviation Week & Space Technology Philip J. Klass Award for Lifetime Achievement
Personal life
Enders is married to Friederike, who works as an economist. Together they have four sons and reside on a farm near Gmund am Tegernsee. He holds a license to pilot helicopters and enjoys skydiving; notably, in November 2010, he performed a parachute jump from the Airbus A400M Atlas.