Udo Looser is a results-driven German senior executive with over 15 years of General Management and CEO experience in China, specializing in leading manufacturing and engineering companies to new levels of performance and growth.

Udo’s executive profile is characterized by a strong focus on organizational transformation and greenfield market entry. Key career accomplishments include leading the complete greenfield establishment of Willi Elbe Steering Systems in Nanjing, from site selection and negotiation to full-scale mass production, resulting in a 145-employee operation generating annual sales of RMB 150 million. As CEO of Frech (Shanghai) and Interim General Manager for Denios Environmental Protection, he successfully executed major turnaround and restructuring initiatives, reorganizing sales, operations, and company structures while implementing robust data management and transparent processes.

Udo held full P&L responsibility for organizations with turnovers of up to RMB 200 million, overseeing all key functions including Sales, Production, Quality, HR, and Finance. He combines native-level English with professional working proficiency in Chinese to bridge cross-cultural collaboration between European headquarters and APAC operations, supported by an in-depth understanding of local legal and regulatory frameworks.

Udo holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from KIT Karlsruhe and has furthered his education with a Fulbright Scholarship at UC Santa Barbara and Chinese language studies at Nanjing Normal University. He is a recipient of the Nanjing “Parasol Tree Award” for business elites and a former President of the Rotary Club Nanjing. He was Board Member European Union Chamber of Commerce Nanjing Chapter EUCCC from 2013 to 2016.

Experience

• General Manager (Interim), Denios Environmental Protection and Work Safety, Jintan, Changzhou, China, 2023 – 2024
• General Manager (Interim), Frech Die Casting Machines, Shanghai, China, 2020 – 2023
• General Manager, Willi Elbe Steering Systems, Nanjing, China, 2011 – 2018
• General Manager, ABM Drives, Suzhou, China, 2006 – 2009
• Project Manager China and Korea, ZF Lenksysteme, Schwäbisch-Gmünd, Germany, 2005 – 2006
• Manager Project Implementation, ZF Steering Jincheng, Nanjing, China, 2001 – 2004
• Project Manager China, at ZF Lenksysteme, Berlin, Germany, 1998 – 2001
• Manufacturing Engineer, at ZF Lenksysteme (ZF Steering Systems), Berlin, Germany, 1995 – 2001

Educational background

• Chinese as a foreign language, NNU Nanjing Normal University 南京师范大学, China
• Fulbright Scholarship, University of California, USA, 1992/93
• Master’s degree (Dipl.-Ing.), Mechanical Engineering, KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, 1992, With Distinction

Designations 

• President of Rotary Club Nanjing, 2019/20
• Paul Harris Fellow Award, Rotary International, 2017
• Chinese Parasol Tree Award 梧桐奖 – Best Business Elite Award, Nanjing Diplomacy Association und Nanjing Municipal Party Committee, 2017
• Board Member European Union Chamber of Commerce Nanjing Chapter EUCCC, 2013-2016
• Fulbright Scholarship Award, German American Fulbright Commission, United States Information Agency, 1992

Languages

• German (native), English (bilingual) and Mandarin Chinese (medium proficiency)