Roland Busch

Roland Emil Busch (born 22 November 1964) is a German business executive and physicist who has been the chief executive officer of Siemens since 2021.

Early life and education
Roland Busch was born in Erlangen, West Germany, in November 1964. His father was a primary school principal, and his mother worked in a bank before becoming a full-time homemaker. Busch's elder brother also works for Siemens, albeit in a non-executive role.

Busch pursued his studies in physics at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, where he earned his Diplom with a focus on quantum chromodynamics, and subsequently completed a doctoral degree with a dissertation on the subject of high-temperature superconductivity. He also earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Grenoble.

Career
Prior to his current roles, Busch held several executive positions within Siemens, including chief technology officer and chief operating officer. He replaced Joe Kaeser as CEO on 3 February 2021. Busch has also served as the President and chief executive officer at Siemens VDO Automotive Asia Pacific Co. Ltd., Chairman of Siemens Schweiz AG, and Head of Strategy and Consulting at VDO Automotive AG. He was also Chairman of the Council at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. In addition to his various roles in Siemens subsidiaries, Busch is a member of the management board at Zentralverband Elektrotechnik- und Elektronikindustrie and Plattform Industrie 4.0. He also sits on the board of 10 other companies.

Other activities

 * Munich Re, Member of the Supervisory Board (since 2024)

Personal life
Busch currently resides in Erlangen with his wife, though he also maintains a second home in Munich, near the Siemens headquarters.

Busch is known to be a workaholic, and the first to arrive at the Siemens-owned fitness studio each morning. His second marriage ceremony was held at 7 am, and by 8 am, he was back in his office. Their honeymoon was a brief weekend in Austria. His wife has been supportive of his career dedication, which played a significant part in his rapid advancement in the company. Busch is also a guitar enthusiast and has confessed to being part of a local band in Erlangen during his school days.

Views
Politically, Busch identifies as a centrist, distancing himself from both extreme right-wing populism and radical left-wing ideologies. He believes the fight against climate change to be vital but considers questioning capitalism because of it to be absurd. He often counters dogmatic green policies with economic statistics, emphasizing the number of people capitalism has lifted out of poverty and the overall increase in life expectancy.

Awards and honors

 * Bavarian Order of Merit (2023)