Ulrich Hackenberg received his doctorate in 1984 at the Institute of Motor Vehicles at RWTH Aachen University. Hackenberg joined AUDI AG in 1985 and was responsible for implementing designs such as the automaker’s current MQB global architecture and cars such as the A3, A4, A6, A8 and TT, as well as the modular toolkit system. Until 2015, Hackenberg was a Board Member of Product Development at Volkswagen, and in 2016, he joined the Valmet Automotive Board of Directors.