Philipp Skogstad | President and CEO
Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America

Driven by an innate curiosity and desire to improve people’s lives, Philipp Skogstad pushes technological and organizational frontiers to create sustainable businesses. Over two decades, he has led transformations and built innovation engines in automotive, software and academia by fostering cultures of open dialogue and collective learning. In 2024, he was awarded 2024 SDV (Software-Defined-Vehicle) Innovator Awards - Pioneers by MotorTrend. In 2020, the Silicon Valley Business Journal honored him as one of “Silicon Valley’s 40 Under 40”. 

Philipp was appointed President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America (MBRDNA) in November 2017. He leads six offices across the U.S. encompassing all R&D and certification activities for Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans in North America. Activities range from electric vehicle battery research to hybrid powertrain calibration and certification, from telematics systems to autonomous vehicle software, and from advanced exterior design to UX.

Prior to joining MBRDNA, Philipp worked in the automotive, enterprise software, and defense industries and academia. At SAP, he led development teams in China, India, Israel, Germany, France, Ireland and the United States to be more customer oriented and iterate faster; he was promoted from project manager to vice president within six years. Philipp held teaching appointments at Stanford University (USA), the Hasso-Plattner-Institute (Germany), and the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland). He has taught design thinking from Shanghai, China, to Cali, Colombia.

Philipp holds a Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Design Methodology and Innovation Management from Stanford University and a MBA from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

In his free time, Philipp enjoys garden-to-table cooking and spending time outdoors with his wife and two daughters.