After studying physics at the Technical University of Munich, Andreas Widl began his career in 1992 at Mannesmann Pilotentwicklung, the think tank of the former Mannesmann Group. In the course of his 7-year career, he applied for more than 30 patents and obtained his doctorate at the Technical University of Munich. In the following 5 years he held various management positions at GE Capital. In 2004 Andreas Widl joined the Swiss Oerlikon Group and was responsible for the restructuring of loss-making business areas and the development of the solar division. At the end of 2005, he was appointed Oerlikon Asia President based in Shanghai. In October 2008 he took over the management of Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum GmbH based in Cologne. In June 2013, Andreas Widl was appointed to the Executive Board of Samson AG, Frankfurt, as Chief Sales, Marketing and Strategy Officer and in April 2015 as Chief Executive Officer.