Dr. Helmut Panke is a former BMW chairman and currently serves on the boards for Microsoft, Bayer AG and Singapore Airlines.

Panke has a doctorate in nuclear physics. After receiving his doctorate, Panke worked for the Swiss Institute for Nuclear Research from 1976 to 1978. From 1978 to 1982, Panke was a consultant with McKinsey & Company.

From 1990 to 1993, he was in charge of Corporate Strategy and Coordination.

In 1993, he was named Chairman and CEO of the BMW US Holding Corporation, a position he held for two years.

He returned to Munich in 1995 with his appointment as Executive Director of BMW AG.

From 1996 to 1999, Dr. Panke was the Member of the Board of Management in charge of Personnel and Information Technology.

From 1999 to 2002, he served as a member of the board of management responsible for finance at BMW.

In 2002, Panke succeeded Joachim Milberg to become the chairman of BMW after Milberg's resignation due to health reasons.[7] During his tenure from May 16, 2002 until September 1, 2006,[8] he was credited with leading the company’s internationalization and his refusal to move the company into the lower priced mass market.

As director of corporate planning, Dr. Panke played a key role in the building of the first BMW plant in the USA in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

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