Dr. Sven Hicken joined Oerlikon in 2018 as head of the former business unit Oerlikon Additive Manufacturing, and was appointed Chief Technology Officer of Oerlikon Surface Solutions in October 2020.

Dr. Hicken is an experienced leader with more than two decades of invaluable experience in the automotive industry. His expertise extends to understanding the challenges faced by Oerlikon's customers, providing him with unique insights to effectively address their needs. A strong track record in leading global teams enables him to effectively navigate diverse business environments and foster collaboration across international markets. Dr. Hicken spent over 20 years of his career at BMW, Munich, in various project and R&D management roles. In 2005 he was appointed Vice President with responsibility for strategy, finance, logistics, and quality painted body. He later held Vice President positions in Production and Product Strategy, until his final role as Vice President of Purchasing Quality Body. In this position, Dr. Hicken was responsible  for global procurement and quality assurance of car body components.

He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Munich with a focus on manufacturing technologies. He earned his Ph.D. at RWTH Aachen with a dissertation on the spot welding of aluminum.