Günter Prömpers

Creating clarity, consistency and impact in global purchasing governance. In my role as Purchasing Rule Governance Responsible, I took ownership of defining, governing and continuously improving global purchasing rules and standards across regions, business units and categories. My goal was always clear: to turn governance from static documentation into a living, usable framework that actively supports business execution. I enabled the harmonization and alignment of global purchasing rules, contributing to measurable improvements in transparency, compliance and process quality. By working closely with process owners, IT, legal/compliance and operational stakeholders, I translated complex regulatory and business requirements into clear, practical and scalable rules that could be applied confidently in day‑to‑day work. A key success of my work was the reduction of rule ambiguity and process deviations, leading to more consistent application of purchasing standards worldwide and significantly improved audit readiness. At the same time, I actively supported global initiatives such as Supplier Performance Management (SPM) improvement, process standardization and purchasing digitalization, ensuring that governance and digital solutions evolved hand in hand. What mattered most to me was adoption and impact: establishing clear ownership for rules, strengthening stakeholder understanding and enabling teams globally to work more efficiently and with greater confidence. Through this role, I contributed to sustainable process excellence, risk mitigation and a more collaborative global purchasing organization.

Enabling people to work smarter – through learning, collaboration and human‑centric digital transformation. In parallel to my formal leadership roles, I have been actively engaged as LeadGUIDE, Digital GUIDE, Trainer and Community Builder, driven by intrinsic motivation to help colleagues adopt digital ways of working with confidence and purpose. A central focus of my work has been the design and facilitation of scalable learning journeys around digital collaboration, Microsoft 365 and AI. Over time, this resulted in 84+ learning bites and global sessions, reaching up to 2,000 participants per day worldwide, complemented by 27+ curated wiki pages with more than 13,000 views and sustained engagement. As a LeadGUIDE, I supported and coached other GUIDEs, contributed to the continuous development of the GUIDE program and fostered cross‑organizational knowledge sharing. As a Community Builder, I created learning spaces where people could exchange experiences, ask questions openly and turn abstract concepts into practical improvements in daily work. What matters most to me is impact, not activity: sustainable adoption instead of one‑time training, clarity instead of complexity, and learning as a shared, social process. Through this role, I have helped establish learning communities as a strategic enabler for digital transformation, AI adoption and modern collaboration at scale.

Strengthening global supplier performance through structure, leadership and measurable impact. As Global Head of Supplier Development, I held global responsibility for the strategic and operational leadership of supplier development activities within Continental Surface Solutions. This included disciplinary leadership of international supplier development teams worldwide, as well as close collaboration with Purchasing, Quality, Engineering and Operations. A core achievement of my role was the design, alignment and implementation of global supplier development frameworks and standards. I led initiatives to harmonize Supplier Performance Management (SPM) across regions, contributing to improved transparency, comparability and effectiveness in supplier evaluation and development. These efforts resulted in more consistent performance tracking, clearer escalation paths and a higher maturity of supplier management processes. Beyond governance and process ownership, I focused strongly on practical impact: enabling teams and stakeholders to apply standards confidently in their daily work. By combining clear processes with active stakeholder engagement, we achieved measurable improvements in supplier performance, risk mitigation and audit readiness across the global supplier network. In parallel, I acted as a global process owner and transformation driver, contributing to purchasing digitalization initiatives and cross‑divisional alignment projects (ContiTech and Tires). What mattered most to me was balancing quality, cost, risk and long‑term partnerships—while building a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.

Driving global component development with clear structure, strong leadership and measurable impact. As Global Director of Components, I was responsible for the global strategic and operational leadership of component development, including disciplinary management of international teams across Europe, the Americas and Asia. My scope covered multiple material and technology domains and combined technology leadership, people management and cross‑regional coordination in a complex industrial environment. I led and aligned global development teams with more than 50 employees worldwide, including direct reports and regional leadership structures. A key success of my role was the harmonization of development standards, processes and decision‑making across regions, resulting in improved transparency, faster alignment and more consistent execution along the development lifecycle. By close collaboration with Purchasing, Quality, Manufacturing and key customers, I strengthened the end‑to‑end integration of component development, balanced innovation with industrial feasibility and ensured reliable delivery on quality, cost and timing. I also held responsibility for laboratory and pilot capabilities, supporting structured validation and industrial readiness. Beyond operational responsibility, I focused strongly on people and organizational development: clarifying roles and responsibilities, developing leaders and experts, and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement. Through this role, I contributed to scalable innovation, improved cross‑regional collaboration and a higher maturity of global development governance, laying an important foundation for later global process, governance and transformation initiatives.

Leading advanced development with structure, impact and a strong focus on people. As Head of Advanced Development, I was responsible for the strategic and disciplinary leadership of global advanced development teams, covering multiple material and technology domains. I combined technical leadership, people development and structured governance to ensure reliable innovation and industrial readiness in a highly demanding, customer‑driven environment. I led international teams across regions, with responsibility for dozens of development experts worldwide, and established clear development processes, project governance and reporting structures. A key achievement of my role was the introduction and consistent application of standardized methods (e.g. project management, FMEA, DVP&R), resulting in higher transparency, improved predictability and a significantly increased maturity of development execution. Beyond process excellence, I placed strong emphasis on capability and talent development. I actively supported the growth of senior experts and future leaders, supervised a high number of internships as well as Bachelor’s and Master’s theses, and fostered a culture of accountability, learning and continuous improvement. Through close collaboration with customers, Purchasing, Quality and Manufacturing, I helped translate complex requirements into scalable, robust solutions, contributing to successful project acquisition, reduced development risks and improved time‑to‑market. This role further strengthened my ability to structure complexity, align diverse stakeholders and deliver measurable impact through clear leadership and disciplined execution.

Leading multidisciplinary advanced development across materials, processes and people. As Head of Advanced Development, I was responsible for the strategic and disciplinary leadership of advanced development teams covering PVC, PUR, coatings (lacquer) and textile technologies. The role combined deep technical leadership, people management and structured development governance in a highly complex, customer‑driven environment. I led international and cross‑functional teams along the entire development lifecycle—from early concept and material formulation to industrialization readiness—while ensuring methodological consistency, transparency and quality. This included the introduction and application of structured methods such as project management frameworks, FMEA, DVP&R and standardized reporting. A key focus of my role was building capabilities and developing people: supervising numerous internships and academic theses, establishing common development standards and fostering a culture of accountability, learning and continuous improvement. Close collaboration with customers and partners was an integral part of the role, supporting innovation, problem solving and project acquisition. Through this role, I strengthened my ability to structure complexity, align diverse stakeholders and translate technical challenges into scalable solutions—capabilities that later formed the foundation for global leadership, governance and digital transformation roles.

Developing thermoplastic olefin (TPO) products in an international, customer‑driven environment. As Product Developer for TPO materials, I was responsible for the development and industrialization of thermoplastic olefin components for international automotive customers. In this role, I managed development projects from initial concept and material formulation through validation and series readiness. I acted as project manager and technical interface between customers, internal development teams, production plants and international locations, coordinating activities across regions and functions. My responsibilities included planning and tracking development milestones, managing trials and validations, and ensuring quality, cost and timing targets were met. In addition, I contributed to the implementation of standardized development and project management tools, including global rollouts and the establishment of transparent reporting structures. This role required structured problem solving, clear communication and the ability to translate technical requirements into practical, manufacturable solutions. Through this position, I built a strong foundation in project management, cross‑functional collaboration and structured product development, which later enabled my progression into global leadership, process governance and transformation roles.

Global leadership of research & development across materials, sites and disciplines. As Global Director R&D, I was responsible for the strategic and disciplinary leadership of global R&D and application engineering activities, covering compound development (PVC, PP, TPE, WPC), application engineering, raw material purchasing and laboratory operations. I led multidisciplinary teams across multiple international sites in Europe and North America. My role combined technology leadership, people management and organizational coordination, ensuring consistent standards, transparency and effective collaboration across locations. This included the professional management and alignment of development activities in Straelen, Bingen, Brampton (Ontario) and Morristown (Tennessee), as well as the integration of R&D, purchasing and testing capabilities. In addition to day‑to‑day leadership, I took on special strategic assignments, including global project management for medical compound development projects for international customers and the integration of external organizations, working as an expat to support organizational and process alignment. Through this role, I strengthened my expertise in global leadership, cross‑functional governance and scaling complex R&D organizations - capabilities that later formed a strong foundation for senior roles in global process ownership, governance and digital transformation.

Driving product development through structured project work and close customer collaboration. As Product Developer, I was responsible for the development of customer‑specific products and components in an international automotive environment. I managed development projects from initial concept through validation and industrialization readiness, working closely with customers, internal development teams and production sites. In this role, I acted as project manager and technical interface, coordinating cross‑functional activities across R&D, purchasing, quality and manufacturing. Responsibilities included planning and tracking milestones, managing trials and changes, and ensuring targets for quality, timing and cost were met. In addition, I supported the implementation and use of standardized development and project management tools, contributing to transparent reporting and structured collaboration across projects. This role laid the foundation for my later progression into leadership, global responsibility and process‑driven transformation roles.