Former Opel CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann Joins Board of Mobility Startup door2door
door2door has announced the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors: former Opel CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann, and former CEO of SAP hybris, Ariel Luedi.
With over 25 years of experience in the automotive industry, Karl-Thomas Neumann also served as CEO of Continental and as a leading executive at GM and Volkswagen. This move represents a major pivot for Neumann from traditional automotive towards emerging urban mobility solutions — making it one of the most significant transitions of a leading executive from established car companies to an innovative mobility startup. Neumann will also be investing in the company.
“door2door is a groundbreaking company aimed at achieving the kind of disruptive innovation that’s driving the mobility industry forward,” said Neumann. “door2door has a real opportunity to drastically improve the way we get around in cities across the globe, and I’m looking forward to helping their remarkable team unlock new possibilities for a real mobility revolution. Almost every other industry is being disrupted by technology — it’s time for public transportation to get in gear as well.”
Former SAP hybris CEO Ariel Luedi was responsible for the company’s significant growth and global expansion. As a 20-year veteran of the enterprise software sector with extensive international go-to market experience – including his role as Head of Salesforce in Europe — Luedi brings a wealth of enterprise expertise to door2door.
“We are thrilled to have an industry top manager such as KT Neumann join the growing door2door team along with Ariel Luedi, who is such a significant player in the global enterprise software industry,” said Dr. Tom Kirschbaum, co-founder and managing director of door2door. “This is an enormous vote of confidence in the kind of smart, sustainable mobility solutions that door2door is spearheading.”
“door2door is disrupting public transportation by integrating advanced ride-sharing technologies into existing systems. However, we’re also utilizing all that is right about existing mobility services — that’s why it’s so important to have individuals such as KT and Ariel on the team,” said Maxim Nohroudi, co-founder and managing director of door2door. “They are not only deeply experienced with existing modes of transportation and software systems, but also have such keen vision on where mobility is headed in the future.”
The addition of door2door’s new board members follows the launch of two novel public transportation partnerships: Together with the local public transport operator in Duisburg — Duisburger Verkehrsgesellschaft (DVG) — door2door launched an on-demand ride-sharing service that is fully integrated into the public transportation network; and in Berlin, in cooperation with the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC), door2door launched a free on-demand shuttle service, allygator shuttle, to help solve last-mile issues for commuters. door2door is also partnering with Brisa affiliate company Via Verde Serviços to launch a real-time transportation platform in Lisbon that will combine various mobility offerings — from mass transit to carsharing.
