Rainer Hertrich is one of the two current CEOs of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) and also Head of the group's Aeronautics Division.
He was born December 6th 1949 and studied Business Administration at the Technical University of Berlin and the University of Nuremberg after an apprenticeship at Siemens.
He began his career in 1977 as Controlling Supervisor at Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB). In 1979 he became Head of the Controlling Department at the MBB Service Division and in 1983 Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in the same Division.
In 1984, he served as Head of the Controlling and Finance Department at the MBB Dynamics Division before he became CFO and Division Management Member at MBB's Marine and Special Products Services in 1987.
After MBB merged into Deutsche Aerospace AG (Dasa) Hertrich was Senior Vice President for Corporate Controlling (1991).
1996 Hertrich became Head of the Aero Engines Business Unit of Dasa and was President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dasa's Motoren- und Turbinen-Union (MTU) in Munich and Member of the Board of Management. In 2000, he was appointed President and CEO of Dasa.
Since 2001, he is President of the Bundesverband der deutschen Luft- und Raumfahrtindustrie (BDLI) (German Aerospace Industries Association).
Hertrich holds the decoration Officer de la Légion d'honneur.
