Management Board

Strong people for a strong DB Cargo

With our strong management board, we are tackling the challenges and strengthening the rail freight industry in Europe- for the climate, for the people, for the economy and for Europe.

Dr. Sigrid Nikutta,

Dr. Sigrid Evelyn Nikutta

Member of the Management Board for Freight Transport of Deutsche Bahn AG and Chairwoman of the Management Board and CEO of DB Cargo AG

Dr. Sigrid Evelyn Nikutta

Dr Sigrid Evelyn Nikutta joined the DB Management Board as Board Member for Freight Transport on 1 January 2020. Born in 1969, she graduated from Bielefeld University and received a doctorate in Psychology. Having focused her research at the LMU Munich on questions and findings in industrial and organisational psychology, she submitted her doctoral thesis in 2009.

She began her career in the management of a medium-sized company in Bielefeld, and joined Deutsche Bahn in 1996. Her work took her to Dresden and Frankfurt, until she settled for freight transport in Duisburg/Cologne and Mainz, initially as the Head of Human Resources. 

She was soon appointed Head of Production and became spokeswoman for the management of block train transport in Mainz. Subsequently, she held the position of Board Member for Production at the subsidiary, DB Cargo Polska.

In October 2010, Sigrid Evelyn Nikutta left DB to become Chairperson and Chief Operating Officer at Germany's largest public transport company, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG). As the first female Chairperson, she made the company operate profitably for the first time.

In late 2019, she was appointed Member of the Management Board of Deutsche Bahn. As CEO of the Mainz-based DB Cargo AG she will also be responsible for operational management.

Michael Fritz

Labor Director and Board Member for Human Resources at DB Cargo AG

Michael Fritz

Since 1 May 2022, Michael Fritz has been Labor Director and Board Member for Human Resources at DB Cargo AG. Michael Fritz has held various positions at Deutsche Bahn for more than 20 years, most recently as Managing Director Human Resources at DB Engineering & Consulting. For him, the goal of getting more goods onto the rails is currently one of the most exciting challenges in the DB Group. The exchange with the employees plays a decisive role for him.

Ralf Günter Kloß

Ralf Günter Kloß

Member of the Management Board for Production of DB Cargo AG

Ralf Günter Kloß

Since 1 May 2020, Ralf Günter Kloß has been Member of the Management Board for Production of DB Cargo AG. Ralf Günter Kloß has worked in management at DB Cargo for more than 20 years, most recently as Head of Cargo Management Region West. He is currently pushing the further development of production in order to make the operational processes at DB Cargo more robust.

Portrait Dr. Martina Niemann

Dr. Martina Niemann

Member of the Management Board for Finance & Controlling, Member of the Management Board for Service Design & Control of DB Cargo AG

Dr. Martina Niemann

Dr. Martina Niemann has been Member of the Management Board for Finance & Controlling (since 1 July 2020) as well as Member of the Management Board for Service Design & Control (since 1 January 2023). Prior to this, Dr. Niemann worked for Lufthansa. She has 25 years of management experience in large corporations and at Deutsche Bahn.

Pierre Timmermans

Member of the Management Board for Sales of DB Cargo AG

Pierre Timmermans

Pierre Timmermans has over 20 years of rail experience and logistics expertise, having served as CEO of Czech rail freight operator AWT, CEO of the PSA International container port group, and board member and head of contract logistics at Frans Maas, among other roles.

Since March, 2019 Timmermans is Member of the Management Board for Sales of DB Cargo.