Greater Munich Metropolitan Area
Every executive has a career. What defines mine is something different. For more than 25 years, I have been entrusted with leading organizations through technological change, business transformation and strategic growth. Whether entering new markets, commercializing breakthrough technologies or transforming critical infrastructure, these are the environments where I thrive. I have had the privilege of contributing to some of the industry's most pioneering projects, from Europe's first natural gas liquefaction plant and the world's first offshore LNG Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) to Germany's first battery cell manufacturing facility and the world's first ammonia cracker and LOHC hydrogen storage and release plants. What connects these projects is not the technology itself, but the absence of a blueprint. Success in such environments demands more than engineering excellence. It requires strategic clarity, commercial judgment, operational discipline and the ability to unite people behind a common vision while making sound decisions under uncertainty. Throughout my career, I have worked for global corporations, privately owned engineering companies, hidden champions, technology scale-ups and operators of critical infrastructure. I have led organizations through growth, restructuring, operational improvement and market expansion, combining deep technical expertise with commercial leadership and hands-on execution. My experience spans hydrogen and green fuels, LNG, ammonia, oil & gas, refining, petrochemicals, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, battery production and critical infrastructure. Rather than being defined by a single industry, I see myself as an industrial transformation executive. I enjoy building businesses, developing high-performing teams and turning innovation into commercially successful operations. Whether working with boards, shareholders, investors or management teams, my objective remains the same: creating sustainable value through disciplined execution, trusted relationships and responsible leadership. To me, leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about creating clarity in complexity, making sound decisions under uncertainty and enabling talented people to achieve exceptional results together. If your organization is navigating strategic transformation, scaling breakthrough technologies, strengthening critical infrastructure or delivering complex industrial investment projects, I would be pleased to connect.
As Chief Executive Officer of Nord-West Oelleitung (NWO), I am leading one of Germany's longest-established energy infrastructure companies through a period of strategic transformation. For more than 70 years, NWO has ensured the secure and reliable supply of crude oil to refineries across Northern and Western Germany. Building on this legacy, my focus is to help shape the company's next chapter by leveraging its unique strategic assets to support tomorrow's energy system. The infrastructure remains. The molecules are changing. Drawing on decades of experience in industrial transformation and large-scale energy projects, I am committed to helping position NWO as a platform for the energy transition, enabling future value chains for hydrogen, ammonia, CO₂ and other low-carbon energy carriers in partnership with leading international companies.
As Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director, I lead Hydrogenious' global operations with responsibility for project development, engineering, EPC execution, supply chain, manufacturing, commissioning and asset operations. Hydrogenious is a venture-backed deep-tech company pioneering Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) technology, enabling the safe, efficient and scalable transport and storage of hydrogen. My role is to transform breakthrough technology into commercially viable industrial solutions by building the operational capabilities required for successful large-scale deployment. Working closely with our shareholders, customers, industrial partners and investors, my focus is on scaling the business, driving operational excellence and preparing the company for the next stage of industrial growth in the emerging hydrogen economy. The challenge is not only technological, it is about building an organization capable of commercializing a first-of-its-kind energy technology and establishing a resilient platform for long-term value creation.
Since founding Buerkle Interim Management & Consulting in 2021, I have been entrusted with executive leadership assignments, board advisory engagements and transformation mandates across the energy, process and infrastructure industries. My clients engage me when organizations face strategic inflection points requiring experienced leadership, decisive execution and the ability to combine technology, commercial acumen and operational excellence. Selected executive assignments include: • PSE Engineering GmbH – Led the company's strategic expansion into the Iranian process industry, built a world-class expert team and secured major petrochemical and refinery engineering projects. • ROSEN Swiss AG – Interim COO supporting operational improvement, governance enhancement and the transformation of one of the world's leading Asset Integrity technology companies. • E.ON Hydrogen GmbH – Developed hydrogen import strategies, midstream concepts and ammonia cracking expertise, building end-to-end capabilities across the hydrogen value chain. • Uniper Hydrogen GmbH – Recovered and de-risked a strategic ammonia cracking project, selected a new technology partner and led the project to a positive Final Investment Decision. Also restructured a large-scale green methanol development. • Allianz Capital Partners – Senior Advisor supporting technical and commercial due diligence for energy transition and industrial technology investments. Across all assignments, my mission has remained consistent: helping boards, shareholders and executive teams commercialize breakthrough technologies, transform organizations and create sustainable value during periods of profound industrial transformation.
In 2019 Stefan joined EXYTE (formerly known as M+W Group) as Business Unit Leader for 'Advanced Technology Facilities, ATF') and Vice President for the EMEA region – a business role focussing on designing and building high-tech facilities for the semiconductor and battery industries. Notably, Stefan and his team were able to win and deliver the engineering, procurement and construction contracts to design & build what’s Germany’s first battery cell factory in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, for a Chinese investor, and to design & build a semiconductor fab for a major German-Austrian customer significantly expanding the customer's production capacity at an existing brown-field site.
In 2014, Stefan joined ILF Consulting Engineers, a privately owned, family-led medium-sized engineering & project management outfit. As an entrepreneur and Managing Director, Stefan was leading ILF’s oil & gas, hydrogen and energy businesses - here's Stefan's track-record: Stefan successfully managed the restructuring of ILF Consulting Engineers Germany in less than 100 days, significantly increased focus on BD & Sales, thus turning the business around in less than 2 years. Stefan expanded ILF's business into new and innovative areas such as hydrogen, HVDC underground cables and LNG. Stefan introduced a ‘Key Account Management System’ significantly increasing focus on strategically important customer relationships world-wide. Stefan optimized and digitized business processes enabling efficient & effective business management.