The innovation incubator of Daimler AG, Lab1886 was founded in 2007. The incubator enables rapid development of products, services or business models. With this enormous speed and the high innovation potential, Lab1886 supports the parent company in the transformation from a car manufacturer to a leading mobility provider - primarily in the digital environment. The group should therefore be well prepared for the challenges of the future.

The innovation laboratory offers the opportunity to utilize and launch ideas from more than 280,000 employees of the Daimler AG. Because know-how and the strength of the group with the speed and culture of a start-up culture are combined in the Lab1886. In recent the lab has established successful business models such as car2go, moovel and Mercedes me.

For more than three years Susanne Hahn has been director of the incubator. She successfully manages the global innovation laboratory with four locations in Stuttgart, Berlin, Beijing and Atlanta. Her career at Daimler AG dates back to 2001 when she completed a junior executive programme. Before being the director of the Lab1886 in 2016, she worked as a manager in the fields of engineering, production and supply chain and as an assistant to the board of directors for the global group organisation. With her successful curriculum vitae, Susanne Hahn proves that women the male-dominated automotive industry can also make a big contribution and have a lasting impact on the industry. This is what we call concentrated female power.

Pictures: Daimler AG
Text: Britta Reineke