Rene Obermann

René Obermann is Chairman of Warburg Pincus Europe, based in Berlin. Since 2020 René also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Airbus SE, he will hold this position until October 2026.

In May 2026, he joined the Supervisory Board of SAP SE and is designated to become Chairman in 2027. He also serves on the Supervisory Board of IONOS Group SE, Europe’s leading web productivity provider.

Prior to joining Warburg Pincus as a Partner early 2015, René was CEO of Ziggo BV, a former Warburg Pincus portfolio company in the Netherlands. From 2006 to 2013, he served as CEO of Deutsche Telekom AG, having previously led the group’s mobile Division T-Mobile in Germany and International. He also served as Vice President of BITKOM, Germany’s leading digital industry association, from 2007 to 2013.

René began his entrepreneurial career while studying at the University of Münster, founding a telecommunication distribution and services company in 1986. Following its acquisition by Hutchison Whampoa in 1991, he continued to lead the business, which became one of the first mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) in Germany under his leadership.

In recognition of his achievements, he was awarded the Ben-Gurion Medal in Israel and appointed Officer of the French Légion d’honneur in 2013.