Dr. Frank Appel

Dr. Frank Appel is an experienced corporate leader with a background spanning research, consulting, and international management. Trained as a chemist (LMU München) with a doctorate in neurobiology (ETH Zürich), he began his career in research before spending seven years at McKinsey & Company, where he became a managing partner. In 2000 he went on to Deutsche Post DHL Group (today DHL Group) as Head of Strategy, became a Board Member in 2002 and served as Group CEO from 2008 to 2023 — one of the longest-serving CEO of a DAX-listed company — guiding the logistics group through its expansion into Asia, the rise of e-commerce, and the shift toward digital and sustainable operations.

Today, Appel concentrates on corporate governance and long-term value creation, helping organizations adapt to technological, economic, and geopolitical change. He chairs the Supervisory Boards of Deutsche Telekom, Europe's largest telecommunications company, and of RWE, one of the leading energy companies in the transition toward renewables. He also serves as external Vice President of the Max Planck Society, bringing his management perspective to one of the world's best research organizations, and sits on the Supervisory Board of Fresenius.

Appel has also engaged with education-focused non-profits, serving for nine years on the board of Teach For All, Inc., a global network that partners with local organizations to address educational inequality and expand access to quality teaching.

His work reaches across logistics, technology, science, education, energy, and global markets, combined with a continued focus on sustainability and organizational leadership. This range of roles spans both the corporate and scientific spheres, from listed telecommunications and energy groups to one of the world's largest research organizations.