Michael Neisen, long-standing Chairman of the Management Board and Shareholder of the ASAP Group, is Automotive Engineering CEO of the Year 2025. The international business magazine “EU Business News” presented Michael Neisen with the award again this year after 2024. It thus recognized his role in building up the ASAP Group, further developing the service portfolio and establishing a modern corporate culture.
Michael Neisen's strategic decisions have contributed significantly to the success of the automotive engineering service provider. The “EU Business News” particularly emphasized the innovative strength promoted by Michael Neisen, which has become even more relevant in the course of the integration into the global IT and technology group HCLTech: “ASAP combines many years of exceptional industry knowledge with the ambition to be innovative at every turn.” ASAP is therefore in a position to operate successfully as a technological front end in a changing industry. In this context, “EU Business News” gave a positive assessment of the fact that ASAP, in cooperation with HCLTech, is further expanding its services in areas such as software and electrics/electronics and integrating new methods and tools that are being used in the development of software-defined vehicles, among other things. The business magazine also took into account the modern corporate culture shaped by Michael Neisen, which is based on authenticity, competence, trust and humanity.
“I am delighted to receive this award again towards the end of my operational activities at ASAP. I have dedicated myself to the development of ASAP for 15 years and have had the pleasure of working with numerous committed and inspiring colleagues, employees, customers and partners. Together, we have paved the way for ASAP to open up new markets in the future as part of HCLTech and accompany the transformation in the automotive industry,” says Michael Neisen.
Michael Neisen joined ASAP Engineering as a shareholder in September 2009 and developed the ASAP Group as CEO until March 31, 2025. He will remain active in an advisory capacity as Managing Director of ASAP Holding until June 30, 2025. After studying automotive engineering at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, he began his professional career in 1990 as a development engineer at a large engineering service provider, where he worked as Managing Director with a growing area of responsibility until 2009.
Under Neisen's leadership, the ASAP Group has developed into a leading engineering partner for OEMs and system suppliers. Neisen aligned the strategy with future technologies such as autonomous driving, electromobility and connectivity at an early stage. ZF Friedrichshafen AG's investment in the ASAP Group from 2018 to 2023 laid the foundation for the expansion of the areas of autonomous driving and electromobility. The integration of the ASAP Group as an independent subsidiary into the global IT and technology group HCLTech at the end of August 2023 then accelerated ASAP's move into international markets. Together with HCLTech, ASAP offers expanded expertise in areas such as the development of software-defined vehicles and the automobile as the Internet of Things (IoT), including new AI tools and methods. Michael Neisen not only promoted technological excellence, but also a contemporary, appreciative corporate culture at ASAP.