APEX in Profile: Ingo Wuggetzer
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Ingo Wuggetzer
Vice President Cabin Strategy, Innovation & Design
Airbus
Ingo is responsible for the design and innovation of Airbus cabins. He was previously the GM of Cabin Development and Product Innovation for Lufthansa’s in-flight products. He has served various roles at Airbus, such as leader of Aircraft Asset Management Group and senior manager in the Corporate Strategy Department where he war responsible for fleet decisions and Business Cycle management.
What’s the one item you can’t travel without?
An iPad. I enjoy it and use the freedom over the clouds to scribble and note conceptual things, which is difficult to do in normal life.
What does your typical workday look like?
I try to maximize time spent with my team because I strongly believe in the performance benefits of a highly motivated work group, and it’s fun for me to inspire people. Recently a major focus was on the A350 XWB – we designed the Cabin Vision in 2006 and finally revealed it for the first time last month in the flight-test aircraft MSN2. We realized this by a consumer-driven approach: Starting with market research capturing passenger and airline needs, then transforming this into inspiring concepts and developing it with our partners.
So it’s about identifying the right topics and setting challenging targets, being creative and providing fresh ideas that create value-added solutions in a contemporary design, and implementing it with state-of-the-art technology. I was very pleased to see the first A350 XWB passenger flights in June: From vision to reality. As it happens, there is also administration in my daily work…
Biggest challenge you’ve overcome in your work?
The biggest challenge I had within Airbus was definitely the CDC, the Customer Definition Centre for A350 customization needs. My job was to develop a concept and to realize the building within only one and a half years! This became even more challenging when we decided to select an old 4000-square-meter aircraft-production hangar to convert into a fancy loft with a high-tech definition area that can accommodate at least two airlines in parallel.
Thanks to a great team, we were able to deliver on time, under cost and over quality! We added an extra “wow” factor by incorporating some innovative design solutions that were rated as overwhelmingly positive by guests at the official inauguration in April this year.
The career path you considered but never followed?
Actually, I considered two other career paths. One was to become a chef, which I practice all my life. At least my family, friends and I enjoy it! The other one was to become an architect or designer.
I am more than happy with how my life developed, as I could influence and create design solutions within my last position at Lufthansa Product Management, and continue to do so in my current role at Airbus.
Last place traveled – for fun?
I recently went with the whole family to the most beautiful land on earth(as my four kids say). It’s in Billund and called LEGOLAND!
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had during a flight?
The best in-flight meal I had was based on great local products, but what really made it the “best” was the outstanding service and how it was delivered!
First travel memory?
My first flight alone was as a teenager to New York to visit my aunt and then start a Greyhound Ameripass tour with my best friend.
Luckiest moment of your life?
Getting married and producing four other luckiest moments:€Ž Cassian, Caspar, Carl-Constantin and Cosima – my children. I still count myself lucky because of them today.
If a plane were a time machine, which era would you travel to?
The future – I would save a lot of time developing scenarios and visions.