“Only together!”

VDE dialog: Let’s start at the beginning: How did you first get involved with VDE?

Klaus Bayer: I actually became aware of VDE in my very first semester at the Technical University of Munich – through an excursion. After that, I quickly became interested in the university activities and started participating. Through the national young members committee, I met like‑minded people and came to really value the exchange beyond my own university. As a student representative, I was regularly invited to the board meetings of the Southern Bavaria district association. That allowed me to see early on how the association works. Since then, I have remained committed to VDE in various roles – first during my studies, later as a representative for young members, and afterwards in financial and board positions.

You have been chairman of the then newly merged VDE Bavaria district association for three years. Roughly how much time does that take?

About one day per week – on average over the year. During the phase when we merged the two Bavarian associations, it was significantly more. At the time, I used to say: “I have an unpaid half‑time job.” However, that also fit quite well with my professional situation. I spent almost 30 years working in the Airbus Group, first in engineering and later in corporate strategy. About three and a half years ago, I became self‑employed. Today I work as a management consultant and help start‑ups and SMEs enter the defense business. I also hold two teaching positions at Munich University of Applied Sciences. All of this is very time‑intensive as well, but I can organize my schedule much more flexibly than when I was employed full‑time.

Why do you invest so much time in a voluntary position?

Because it means a lot to me personally to give something back – especially to the next generation of engineers. Volunteer work is nonprofit: it’s about doing something for the community. It also motivates me to invest time in topics I am truly passionate about. In this way, I can contribute to my field and show young people how important a strong network is. And I am convinced that VDE is an ideal platform for that – technically and scientifically oriented, politically neutral, and open to technology.

Which of your volunteer responsibilities do you enjoy the most?

Above all, our flagship projects. For example, the VDE Bavaria Awards at the Bayerischer Hof, where we honor outstanding theses. Or the Future Forum, which takes place each year at a different university location – most recently on the topic of semiconductors, with the Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs as patron. But I also enjoy expanding the VDE footprint in areas of Bavaria that previously had none – for example by establishing university groups at all campuses where electrical engineering and computer science are taught.

And the administrative work that comes with such a voluntary role probably brings a little less joy?

I wouldn’t actually say that. I enjoy working with numbers! Everything I can do in Excel fascinates me. I also appreciate organizational development and structural work – because they are necessary to further professionalize the association.

Are there really no duties that you find rather annoying?

Of course there are. When members cancel their membership in an unfriendly way and you still have to respond politely, that can be somewhat unpleasant. Or when unjustified criticism arises, especially from people who are not very active themselves. That is rare, but it does require a certain level of frustration tolerance when you invest so much time and passion and it is not always properly appreciated.

Not everyone enjoys working in associations. Do you have problems finding young volunteers in Bavaria?

To our own surprise, relatively few. Both Bavarian associations used to struggle to fill volunteer positions. With the restructuring into a single Bavarian district association in 2022/23, we created around 30 to 40 roles – and we were able to fill almost all of them, sometimes even with very young successors. Our statutes also state that the chairman can only be re‑elected once – so a maximum of four years. With associations like this, there is always the risk that leadership becomes over‑aged. This rule forces us to ensure good succession planning in time, because I am already in my final year. It is not automatic, but I am confident we will succeed.