The GRASSL team

MANAGEMENT – A PART OF THE WHOLE

Who stands behind the GRASSL team? A group of experienced facilitators. To us, management is a matter of teamwork. Applying knowledge responsibly and living according to the company values was fundamental for the success of the former one-man company. All our offices subscribe to the walk the talk philosophy. In the passionate words of company founder Hans Grassl: “If you start something you must finish it as if your life depended on it.”

Dr. sc. techn. Hans Grassl

Managing partner

Hans Grassl was born in Munich, Germany, in 1971. He studied civil engineering at the Technical University of Munich and the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées Paris and graduated with a German and French degree in 1997. After his studies he worked as a research associate at the Technical University of Munich and obtained his doctoral degree in the field of steel structures from the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich in 2002. Between 2002 and 2005 he worked at SSF Ingenieure AG in Munich in the field of bridge design (preliminary and execution design). In 2005, Hans Grassl joined GRASSL as a managing partner. He is a member of numerous professional associations, and, since 2020, a member of the board of the German Association for Promoting Quality in Education and Training for Inspection Engineers (VFIB).

Dipl.-Ing. Martin Grassl

Managing Partner

Martin Grassl was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1976. His studied civil engineering at the Technical University of Munich, Germany, specialising in hydraulic and geotechnical engineering and tunnel construction. He graduated in 2004. After working in the Berlin office for three years he transferred to the Hamburg office. He has been a managing partner since 2007 and is an active member of various professional associations that focus on improving the quality and attractiveness of the civil engineering profession.

 

Dipl.-Ing. Manfred Grassl

Managing partner

Manfred Grassl was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1940. After graduating from high school, he studied structural engineering at the Technical University of Munich and the Technische Universität Braunschweig, where he graduated in 1970. He joined the company of his father, Dr.-Ing. h. c. Hans Grassl, heading up the Hamburg and Düsseldorf offices. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Manfred Grassl founded further offices in Berlin–Brandenburg, Greifswald and Magdeburg. He has been instrumental in the construction of many important bridges, such as the high-level Levensau Bridge over the Kiel Canal, numerous cable-stayed bridges, moveable bridges such as the Rethe Bridge and the canal bridge over the Elbe forming part of the Magdeburg waterway crossing.

 

Dipl.-Ing. Gerhard Grassl

Partner

Gerhard Grassl was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1938. In 1960, he commenced his studies in civil engineering at the Technical University of Munich, specialising in structural engineering. In 1965, he joined the Bavarian road administration as a trainee and was promoted to government lead engineer three years later, after having completed the state examination. In 1969 he started working at GRASSL in Düsseldorf, the first of the founder’s sons to do so. Together with his father he founded the Munich office in 1970. With his body of work, Gerhard Grassl has left his mark on steel and steel–concrete composite bridge engineering in Bavaria. Some of his most exceptional contributions to German bridge construction were the design of the Grünwald Bridge in Munich and the Nibelungen Bridge in Regensburg.

 

Dr.-Ing. Klaus Baumann

Partner, authorised company representative and certified checking engineer (Federal Railway Authority)

Klaus Baumann was born in Kleinmachnow, Germany, in 1957. Between 1978 and 1983 he studied road and traffic engineering, specialising in civil construction. He graduated with a research doctorate about the structural assessment of steel bridges. From 1987 to 1991 he worked in the bridge department of the German National Railway head office in Greifswald. Klaus Baumann joined GRASSL in 1991. After spending time in the Hamburg and Berlin offices, in 1993 he became head of the recently founded Greifswald office and in 2016 of the Magdeburg office. In 2006, Klaus Baumann was accredited by the German Federal Railway Authority as a checking engineer for railway construction. He represents the interests of road and railway engineers in various professional associations.

 

Dipl.-Ing. Thomas Benz

Authorised company representative

Thomas Benz was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1970. He studied civil engineering at the University of Applied Sciences Hamburg, specialising in structural engineering. In 1996, he joined GRASSL, where he worked in the areas of design checking, structural design and design planning. Thomas Benz was appointed authorised company representative in 2016, after many years of working as a project leader. He is responsible for the implementation of the BIM planning method in the Hamburg office.

 

Dipl.-Ing. Michael Borowski

Authorised company representative

Michael Borowski was born in Kellinghusen, Germany, in 1970. In 1997 he graduated from Technische Universität Braunschweig with a degree in civil engineering and a specialisation in concrete structures, steel structures and construction economics and management. He joined GRASSL in April 1997, initially as a project engineer and from 1999 onwards as a project leader in the field of structural engineering. In 2007, Michael Borowski was appointed manager of the GRASSL Hamburg office, and in 2013 authorised company representative. He was awarded the Deutscher Brückenbaupreis 2020 (German bridge construction award) for his exceptional engineering achievements in the planning, design and construction of the Retheklappbrücke (Rethe bascule bridge) in Hamburg.

 

Dipl.-Ing. Holger Cordes

Managing director and certified checking engineer

Holger Cordes was born in Zeven, Germany, in 1971. Between 1993 and 1998 he studied civil engineering at the Leibniz University Hannover, where he specialised in structural engineering. Following his graduation, he worked at the civil engineering firm of Christiansen and Ott and joined the GRASSL Hamburg office in 2002. In 2015, after obtaining the accreditation as a checking engineer for steel and concrete structures, Holger Cordes and Martin Grassl co-founded Cordes & Grassl GbR, a company specialising in structural design checks of engineering projects.

 

Jacqueline Donner, M.Sc.

Authorised company representative

Jacqueline Donner was born in Ingolstadt, Germany, in 1987. She studied civil engineering at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the National University of Singapore and graduated in 2012. She joined GRASSL as a trainee in 2009. In 2012, she joined the GRASSL team in Munich as a permanent employee and worked in the areas of planning and structural design for large infrastructure projects. In 2023, after several years as a project manager and team leader, Jacqueline Donner was appointed authorised company representative. She has been a lecturer at the Chair of Metal Structures at TUM and shares her practical knowledge in the lecture “Stahlverbundbrückenbau aus Sicht der Praxis” (practical aspects of steel-concrete composite bridge construction).

 

Dipl.-Ing. Matthias Gebauer

Authorised company representative

Matthias Gebauer was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1964. After having trained as a structural draftsperson, he studied civil engineering at the Fachhochschule Hamburg, specialising in structural engineering. He graduated in 1989. While still at university, he worked at GRASSL as a draftsperson. In 1990, he introduced and developed a structural asset management system in the Hamburg office. After many years as project engineer and project and team leader he was appointed authorised company representative in 2013. Matthias Gebauer has a great amount of knowledge in the areas of construction supervision and the checking and inspection of highway structures according to DIN 1076 and VDI6200. He is further a certified expert for concrete repair and a work health and safety coordinator. He is a member of numerous technical associations and working groups and is particularly active in the areas of checking and assessment of infrastructure buildings.

 

Dipl.-Ing. Tobias Grewenig

Authorised company representative

Tobias Grewenig was born in Buchholz in der Nordheide, Germany, in 1981. After having completed training as a carpentry journeyman, he studied civil engineering at HTW Berlin, where he graduated in 2008. Upon graduation, he worked as a project engineer and project leader in the structural engineering department of Vössing GmbH Ingenieurbüro between 2008 and 2013. During this time, he successfully contributed to national and international general and structural design projects. He has been working in general and structural design for structural engineering at the GRASSL Berlin office since 2013. In 2023 he became an authorised company representative. Tobias Grewenig is a member of the Berlin chamber of civil engineers and has been carrying out approval designs according to VV BAU for Deutsche Bahn AG since 2017.

 

Dipl.-Ing. Guido Herbrand

Authorised company representative

Guido Herbrand was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 1967. After training as a carpenter, he studied civil engineering at the RWTH Aachen University, where he graduated in 1996. After graduation, he worked as a project engineer in the field of structural engineering in an engineering company in Aachen between 1996 and 1999, as a project leader in bridge design (preliminary and construction design) at Vössing Ingenieure in Düsseldorf between 1999 and 2006 and as a division manager in a Norwegian engineering firm for petrochemical plant construction in Langenfeld (Rhineland) from 2006 to 2009. Guido Herbrand has been office manager at the GRASSL Düsseldorf office since 2009 and authorised company representative since 2013. He is a member of the Ingenieurkammer-Bau NRW (chamber of civil engineers, North Rhine–Westphalia) and of VSVI-NRW (association of road and traffic engineers of North Rhine–Westphalia).

 

Dipl.-Ing. Markus Karpa

Managing partner

Markus Karpa was born in Sigmaringen, Germany, in 1971. He studied civil engineering at the Technical University of Munich and graduated in 1999. Between 1999 and 2010, he worked at SSF Ingenieure AG in Munich in the field of bridge design (preliminary and construction design). Since 2010, Markus Karpa is a managing partner at GRASSL. He is an active member of numerous working groups and aims to transform the future of civil engineering.

 

Dominic Reyer, M.Sc.

Authorised company representative

Dominic Reyer was born in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1985. He studied civil engineering at the Leibniz University Hannover and the Technical University of Munich, specialising in concrete construction, steel construction, structural analysis and structural mechanics. He graduated in Munich in 2011. After joining GRASSL in October of the same year, he worked as a project engineer and from 2018 in project management in the area of structural engineering. In April 2021, Dominic Reyer moved to the Stuttgart office and has been an authorised company representative there since 2023. Dominic Reyer is a member of VSVI Baden-Württemberg.

 

Dr.-Ing. Andreas Schneider

Certified checking engineer (Federal Railway Authority)

Andreas Schneider was born in Leipzig, Germany, in 1958. He studied civil engineering at the Technische Hochschule Leipzig, where he graduated in 1983. Following his graduation, he worked as a research associate at his alma mater and in 1989 obtained his doctorate in metal construction. Between 1988 and 1990 he worked as the head of planning at the Strausberg building authority, and between 1990 and 2001 as a structural engineer at Krupp Stahlbau Berlin GmbH. In 2001, Andreas Schneider joined GRASSL as a civil engineer and has been a checking engineer for structural engineering since 2009. He is a member of the Berlin chamber of civil engineers, and has been carrying out approval designs according to VV BAU for the Deutsche Bahn AG since 2011.

 

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Seiler

Managing partner and certified checking engineer

Christian Seiler was born in Darmstadt, Germany, in 1968. He studied civil engineering at the Technical University Munich, where he graduated in 1993. Following his graduation, he worked as a research associate at his alma mater and obtained his doctorate in structural mechanics in 2000. Between 2000 and 2006 he worked at Bilfinger Berger AG in Munich in the field of bridge design (preliminary and construction design). In 2006, he was appointed professor of concrete structures as well as civil and building structures at the Munich University of Applied Sciences. After several years of carrying out structural designs for various civil engineering firms, he obtained the accreditation as checking engineer for concrete structures in 2014. Christian Seiler has been a managing partner at GRASSL since 2015. He joined the working group for standards of the Bavarian chamber of civil engineers in 2007 and has been its chair since 2013.

 

Dipl.-Ing., MBA and Eng. Tamás Simon

Authorised company representative

Tamás Simon was born in Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary, in 1982. He studied civil engineering at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, specialising in structural engineering. After graduation, from 2006 to 2016, he worked at SSF Ingenieure AG in Munich in the areas of detailed and execution design. In 2016, he obtained a Master of Business Administration and Engineering at the Hochschule München University of Applied Sciences. He joined the GRASSL Munich office in 2016, where he has been working in the areas of planning and structural design. In 2023, after several years as a project manager and team leader, Tamás Simon was appointed authorised company representative.

 

Dipl.-Ing. Robert Smith

Authorised company representative

Robert Smith was born in Pembroke, Canada, in 1962. He studied civil engineering at the Technical University of Dortmund, specialising in structural engineering. He graduated in 1989. After six years in the GRASSL Hamburg office, he transferred to the Berlin office in 2014. He obtained an additional qualification as a welding engineer and became an authorised company representative for the Berlin office in 2013. Robert Smith is an active member of the DVS (German association for welding and similar methods) and working group A5 (“Welding in construction”).

 

Dipl.-Ing. Kevin Wahl

Authorised company representative

Kevin Wahl was born in Tübingen, Germany, in 1986. He studied civil engineering at the Dresden University of Technology, specialising in structural engineering, where he graduated in 2013. From 2013 to 2018 he worked at Leonhardt, Andrä und Partner Beratende Ingenieure VBI AG in the international bridge construction division, where he was involved in large national and international projects. He joined the GRASSL Stuttgart office in 2018, where he has been working in the areas of planning, structural design and structural checking. He has been an authorised company representative since 2023.

 

Bernhard Weischedel, M.Sc.

Managing partner and authorised company representative

Bernhard Weischedel was born in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1989. He studied civil engineering at the University of Stuttgart, where he graduated in 2015. After graduation, he worked as a project engineer and construction manager in the “Zentrale Technik” division of Züblin AG in Stuttgart in the areas of building and structural engineering. He joined the GRASSL Munich office in 2018 and moved to the Stuttgart office in 2020. He has been a managing partner of Grassl GmbH Stuttgart since 2021, and an authorised company representative since 2023. Bernhard Weischedel is a consulting engineer of the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Engineers and an active member of various professional societies.

 

Dipl.-Ing. FH Thilo Weischedel

Managing partner and certified checking engineer

Thilo Weischedel was born in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1962. Between 1981 and 1985 he studied civil engineering at the Hochschule für Technik Stuttgart. Following his graduation, he worked at Züblin in the design of tunnels and engineering structures. Between 1989 and 1991 he was employed at an engineering firm in Stuttgart and obtained a qualification as a welding engineer at the same time. In 1991 he founded his own company. Thilo Weischedel was accredited as a checking engineer for metal structures in 2005 and for concrete structures in 2010. In 2015, he became a managing partner at GRASSL. He is the chair and co-chair of various professional associations.

 

Dr-Ing. Daniel Wingenfeld

Managing partner and certified checking engineer

Daniel Wingenfeld was born in Hünfeld, Germany, in 1982. He studied at the Technische Universität Darmstadt and in 2013 he completed his doctorate at the Chair of Concrete and Masonry Structures of the Technical University of Munich. After his graduation, he worked on national and international projects at Hochtief AG from 2007 to 2014. In 2014, he joined the GRASSL Munich office and worked in the areas of structural checking and general and structural design of large infrastructure projects. Daniel Wingenfeld has been a managing partner of the GRASSL group since 2019. In 2022, he was accredited as certified checking engineer and checking expert for structural engineering in the area of concrete construction.