Contact

Dusseldorf, Germany

Executive Board of Rheinmetall AG

Armin Papperger

Engineering graduate
Born in 1963
Nationality: German

CEO since 1 January 2013
Member of the Executive Board since 1 January 2012
Appointed until 31 December 2029
Employee of Rheinmetall since 1990

Armin Papperger (born 1963) is as of 1 January 2013 Rheinmetall AG's Chairman. After graduating in Engineering, Papperger began his career in 1990 in quality management in the Defence sector of the Rheinmetall Group. From 2001 on, he was managing director of various Defence subsidiaries. In July 2007, Papperger was also appointed head of the Weapon and Munitions division. In early 2010, he took on responsibility for both the Vehicle Systems and the Weapon and Munitions division on the Management Board Defence.

Klaus Neumann

Diploma in Business Engineering
Born in 1970
Nationality: German

Member of the Executive Board since 1 January 2025
Appointed until 31 December 2027
Employee of Rheinmetall since 2012

Klaus Neumann is CFO of Rheinmetall AG.

After graduating from the Universität Fredericiana (TH, Karlsruhe) in 1997 with a degree in Business Engineering, Klaus Neumann successfully passed his Tax Consultant and Auditor exams (in 2001 and 2002) in Germany and completed his Chartered Accountant (ICAEW) in 2004 in the United Kingdom.

Before Neumann joining Rheinmetall AG as Senior Director Accounting in November 2012, he was Senior Audit Manager at the auditing firm KPMG.

On January 1, 2025, Klaus Neumann was appointed to the Executive Board of Rheinmetall AG. He is responsible for the finance division as CFO.

Dr Vera Saal

Doctors of Law
Born in 1978
Nationality: German

Member of the Executive Board since 1 September 2025
Appointed up to 31 August 2028
Employee of Rheinmetall since 2010

Dr Vera Saal is CHRO and Director of Labor Director of Rheinmetall AG.

After completing her law studies at the University of Bonn with the first state examination in 2002, Dr Saal worked as a research assistant at the University of Bonn. Following her legal clerkship at Duesseldorf Regional Court, she passed her second state examination in 2006.

Dr Saal then began her career as a lawyer at a leading labour law firm in early 2007. In 2009, she moved to the human resources department of the Generali Group as a labour lawyer. Since late 2010, she has held various HR management positions at the Rheinmetall Group, most recently as Executive Vice President of Labour Relations and Long- and Short-Term Incentives at Rheinmetall AG.

On 1 September 2025, Dr Vera Saal was appointed to the Executive Board of Rheinmetall AG. As CHRO and Labour Director, she is responsible for Human Resources.

René Gansauge

Diploma in Industrial Engineering
Born in 1973
Nationality: German

Member of the Executive Board since 1 January 2025
Appointed until 31 December 2027
Employee of Rheinmetall since 2005

René Gansauge is COO of Rheinmetall AG.

After graduating in industrial engineering, René Gansauge began his career in the controlling department of the automotive division of the Rheinmetall Group in 2005.

From 2005 to 2007, Gansauge took on the role of controller at Pierburg Inc. in the USA. He then served as head of controlling at Pierburg GmbH in Neuss until 2010.

From 2010 to 2013, Gansauge managed the activities of KSPG India as Managing Director at the Pune site in the state of Maharashtra, India. Subsequently, until the end of 2017, he took over the North American activities of the Sensors and Actuators division as President of Pierburg US, LLC in Detroit, Michigan, USA.

In 2018, Gansauge returned to Germany to take over as CEO of the Sensors and Actuators division at the headquarters in Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia. From April 2023 until the end of December 2024, he was CEO of the Division Weapon and Ammunition.

On 1 January 2025, René Gansauge was appointed to the Executive Board of Rheinmetall AG as Chief Operations Officer.

Mandates

	Membership in Supervisory Boards
Armin Papperger CEO	Rheinmetall Automotive AG ) (Chairman) Rheinmetall Denel Munition (Pty) Ltd ) (Chairman) Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH ) (Chairman) The Dynamic Engineering Solution Pty Ltd (Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board) Rheinmetall Defence Australia ) (Chairman)
Dr. Vera Saal CHRO and Director of Labor Relations	Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH ) Rheinmetall Electronics GmbH ) Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH ) Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH )
René Gansauge COO	Rheinmetall Expal Munitions S.A.U. ) American Rheinmetall Defense, Inc. ) (Chairman)
Klaus Neumann CFO	Rheinmetall Electronics GmbH ) Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH ) Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH ) 4iG Public Limited Company Rheinmetall IT Solutions GmbH ) (Chairman)

*) Affiliated mandates

News

Contact

Rheinmetall Platz 1

40476 Dusseldorf

Germany

Route

PO box 10 42 61

40033 Düsseldorf