As head of the Group Works Council and member of the Executive Board at VW, Daniela Cavallo is one of the most influential women in German business. How the 49-year-old rose through the ranks in the company.
The announced round of savings worth billions at the car manufacturer Volkswagen (VW) is also a challenge to the works council chairwoman: The first woman to head the group works council is Daniela Cavallo. The 49-year-old can look back on a long career in the company with responsible positions.
The German-Italian began her professional career in 1994 with an apprenticeship as an industrial clerk at VW. In 1999, Cavallo was elected shop steward and was promoted to the works council three years later.
In 2013, as part of the executive works committee, she headed a coordination area of around 7,000 employees and in the same year became a member of the general works council and chair of the committee for personnel policy regulations, which deals with human resources and personnel policy issues.
At the beginning of 2019, Cavallo became deputy chairwoman of the general and group works council and at the end of April 2021 she took over the chairmanship of the works council at the Wolfsburg site and the general works council. She succeeds Bernd Osterloh on the supervisory board and executive committee. In May 2021, she was elected as the first woman to chair the group works council.
In her role as VW works council chair, Cavallo is involved in shaping the company’s strategy, particularly with regard to the transformation to electromobility and digitalization. Her focus is on securing jobs and employee participation in a changing market environment.
Corporate Management – Volkswagen Group
Source: Stern
