Klaus Kleinfeld

Kleinfeld joined a marketing consulting firm in 1982, then worked briefly at Ciba-Geigy before joining Siemens AG in 1987 where he rose to become CEO in 2005. Kleinfeld's efforts to modernize the company led to conflict with defenders of Siemens' traditional business culture. However, the company's financial performance flourished. In 2006, a German government investigation uncovered slush funds in secret bank accounts maintained by Siemens in order to win contracts. Investigators found no evidence of wrongdoing by Kleinfeld and no charges were brought against him. In 2009, Kleinfeld, along with other former top Siemens executives, agreed to pay Siemens a sum to settle a related civil matter. In June 2007, Kleinfeld left Siemens, citing uncertainty about his future with the company after divisions among Siemens board members concerning the extension of his contract became public.

In August 2007, Kleinfeld was appointed COO of New York, NY-based Alcoa Inc, and, in May 2008, became Alcoa's CEO. He later also was chairman and CEO of the Alcoa spin-off Arconic. After unauthorised communications with an Arconic investor, he stepped down as chairman and CEO of Arconic in April 2017. In October 2017, he was named director of Saudi Arabia's Neom initiative, later becoming an advisor of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.