Ulrich Grillo

Ulrich Grillo (born 2 September 1959) is a German entrepreneur and former president of the Federation of German Industries (BDI).

Early life and education After completing his high school diploma in 1978, Grillo served in the military from 1978 to 1979. From 1980 to 1982, he trained as a bank clerk at Deutsche Bank. Starting in 1982, he studied business administration at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität in Münster, graduating in 1987 with a degree in business administration (Diplom-Kaufmann).

In 2001, Grillo joined the board of his family-owned Grillo Group, based in Duisburg. During the 2021/2022 fiscal year, the Grillo Group generated €862.3 million in revenue. Grillo continues to advocate for the significance of industry in policymaking.

From November 2006 to the end of 2012, Grillo was president of the Wirtschaftsvereinigung Metalle, representing Germany's non-ferrous metal industry. In 2006, he also became chairman of the BDI's raw materials committee. By 2011, he had risen to one of nine BDI vice presidents. In November 2012, Grillo was elected to succeed Hans-Peter Keitel as president of the BDI, assuming the position on January 1, 2013. He handed over the role to Dieter Kempf at the end of 2016.

He has served on the supervisory board of the steel and metal trading company Klöckner & Co. He is currently chairman of the supervisory board at Rheinmetall AG and deputy chairman of the supervisory board at E.ON SE. 2017: Walter Scheel Prize 2020: Cross of Merit 1st Class, Federal Republic of Germany

Personal life Grillo is married, has two daughters, and enjoys playing golf.