Christian Ludwig, AMT 2018 Next Gen 40 Under 40 Award Winner

The motivation for Christian Ludwig to join the aviation industry came after an Assessment Centre visit for students at MTU which included a shop tour. He received firsthand information about turbine engines and maintenance practices. From there on, he was hooked.

He started at MTU as a Jet Trainee which is a special entry-level program established for areas where a lack of qualified managers has been identified. Ludwig had great support and guidance by his supervisor David Campbell and head of the department, Robert Gentzke. He was assigned to various German locations as well as China with a focus on MRO engine shop management, V2500 engineering, quality management, strategic purchasing, and finance.

His first position after training was at MTU Maintenance Hannover GmbH as procurement manager for V2500 and PW2000 engines. Then he was named head of purchasing and logistic department (Accessory Repair Centre). His current position is director, Accessory Repair Centre and Supply Chain at MTU Maintenance Canada Ltd. (Vancouver).

Nominated by Victoria Nicholls, Media Relations Manager, MTU Maintenance: “Christian started his career at MTU in 2009 as an executive trainee reporting to department heads of several MTU locations in Berlin, Hannover, and Zhuhai before he moved into a leadership position in 2013 heading the Supply Chain Department at MTU Maintenance Canada Ltd. In 2016, he took on his current role as director of the Accessory Repair Centre (ARC) and has overseen tremendous growth. Last year, the ARC repaired 11,000 accessories for over 120 customers including airlines, engine manufacturers, and the U.S. Air Force. Christian is the architect behind the “vision 2020” that has been created to secure the long-term success of our accessory business. He is a dedicated and passionate member of our team.”

Ludwig is passionate about driving improvement and developing the industry and creating value for his customers. MTU has revived its apprenticeship program this year which allows him to introduce young talent to the industry.

While Ludwig has short and long-term goals, “I also like to stay open-minded about opportunities and challenges to come. When I am looking back on my career in 30 years' time, I would like to be able to say: I had continuous opportunity to learn and grow. I helped others to succeed and drove improvement or change. I was never bored at my job.”