Thomas Gottschild has been Managing Director of MBDA Deutschland GmbH and a member of MBDA’s Executive Committee since July 2016. As Executive Group Director of Strategy and Future Growth, he is responsible for the Group’s strategic direction and MBDA’s business development, including product innovation. Prior to this, as Executive Group Director of Improvement, he led key efficiency and transformation programs across the Group.

His professional career is marked by many years of leadership experience in the European aerospace and defense sectors. Thomas Gottschild held senior positions at Airbus Defence and Space for over two decades, most recently as Corporate Secretary on the Executive Board. Prior to that, his responsibilities included strategy for the Space Systems division as well as key management functions at the intersection of technology, portfolio, and market.

Other positions included leadership roles in portfolio and sales management, as well as the role of Director of EU Defense Policy and Deputy Head of the EADS Brussels Office. In these roles, he was significantly involved in strategic positioning, European industrial policy, and the development of complex defense systems.

In February 2025, Thomas Gottschild was elected Chairman of the Security Committee of the Federation of German Industries (BDI). In this role, he shapes the committee’s strategic direction and drives industrial policy initiatives to strengthen the competitiveness of the German security and defense industry. A particular focus is on the further development of security technology capabilities to ensure Germany’s internal and external security.

After graduating from high school, Thomas Gottschild served as a temporary soldier in the Air Force for two years and subsequently studied electrical engineering at the University of Siegen. He was born in Wiesbaden in 1969.