Kerstin Wagner is Executive Vice President Talent Acquisition at Germany’s national rail operator, Deutsche Bahn AG. She leads the largest talent acquisition team in the German-speaking region — a nationwide network of experts combining employer branding, recruiting, governance, and temporary staffing to position Deutsche Bahn as a top employer. Her mission: to hire over 20,000 new employees every year for the DB Group — effectively recruiting the size of a small town annually.
With a strong international background, Kerstin studied business administration at ESB Reutlingen (Germany) and NEOMA Business School in Reims (France), later earning her MBA from the University of Ottawa (Canada). She began her career at Siemens, where she held various HR leadership roles in Munich and Boston.
Kerstin is a passionate advocate for innovation, New Work, and diversity. She serves on several supervisory boards and chairs the advisory council of the Deutsche Bahn Foundation. Recognized for her leadership, she was named one of Focus magazine’s “100 Women of the Year” in 2021 and one of the “50 Most Influential HR Thinkers” by Personalmagazin in 2024.
