Stadtwerke München (SWM) has a new managing director for the regional energy transition – and for the first time in years there is a woman on the top floor. The supervisory board appointed Karin Thelen to the top of the group on Tuesday. This means that a key position in Munich’s energy production will be filled internally. Thelen is currently in charge of technical quality assurance at Stadtwerke. “I am very pleased to be able to contribute my expertise and skills as managing director of this forward-looking department,” said Thelen quoted in a statement by SWM.
The post in the management of the urban group was advertised under pressure from the Greens. SWM holds shares in numerous wind farms in Europe or is even the sole owner. In Spain they operate a solar park. But in Munich and Upper Bavaria the portfolio is mainly limited to hydroelectric power, some solar energy and the two wind turbines in Fröttmaning. This is partly due to legal or meteorological hurdles, but according to the Greens also to a lack of focus in management.
Thelen, who is not a member of the Greens, is now supposed to fill this gap. It is intended to drive the energy and heat transition forward, the engine of which is to be the urban subsidiary. “Together with her, we will be able to make our successful path towards a sustainable energy supply even more visible,” said SWM boss Florian Bieberbach happily.
Born in Munich in 1976, Thelen was already interested in biology and chemistry when she was at school. After graduating from high school, she studied microbiology and molecular biology at the Technical University of Munich, earning a diploma in biology in 2002 and a doctorate in microbiology in 2009. In 2018 she added a “Master of Business Administration” (MBA) – and then took over quality assurance at Stadtwerke München with more than 50 employees.
The tasks of this department include material and welding tests as well as the monitoring of drinking water and the chemical processes in SWM’s power plants. “I’m a manager and scientist,” is how Karin Thelen described herself in an interview with the website Memorandum for women in leadership. “As a scientist, I think analytically and drive innovations forward. As a manager, I convert them into business models and thus contribute to economic success.”