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Dr Birgitt Fill Appointed Vice-President of the DPMA

DPMA President Eva Schewior: “With her doctorate in engineering, many years of experience as a patent examiner and extensive management experience, Dr Fill is exceptionally well qualified for the role” – Outgoing Vice-President Dr Maria Skottke-Klein retires after 35 years at the DPMA

Munich. There will be a change in the senior management of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA): On 1 November 2026, Dr Birgitt Fill will take up the position of Vice-President of the DPMA. She succeeds Dr Maria Skottke-Klein, who will retire at the end of October.

“ I look forward to working with Dr Birgitt Fill in her new role as Vice-President. With a doctorate in engineering and many years of experience as a patent examiner, Dr Fill has outstanding technical expertise and an in-depth knowledge of patent law. In addition, she has demonstrated her management skills and strategic vision in various leadership roles at the DPMA,” said DPMA President Eva Schewior.

Eva Schewior also paid tribute to the outgoing Vice-President: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr Maria Skottke-Klein for her many years of excellent service. Throughout her career in various senior positions, and most recently as Vice-President, she has initiated and successfully implemented important projects. In doing so, she has made a valuable contribution to the DPMA whose impact will continue to be felt. Dr Skottke-Klein is retiring as a highly respected and well-liked member of the DPMA’s leadership team. The DPMA has greatly benefited from her work."

Dr Birgitt Fill studied mechanical engineering, specialising in process engineering, at the Technical University of Munich from 1989 to 1995. She subsequently worked there as a research associate and completed her doctorate in the field of multicomponent adsorption.

Dr Fill joined the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) in 1999, initially working as a patent examiner and later as a group leader. In 2018, she took over as head of a patent division specialising in automotive and thermal engineering as well as plastics processing.

In 2022, Dr Fill was appointed head of the “General Mechanical Engineering” divisional group. In 2025, she also took on the role of acting head of the Directorate General for Patents and Utility Models.

Dr Maria Skottke-Klein had been working at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) since 1991. A chemist by training, Dr Skottke-Klein began her career at the DPMA in patent examination. Her roles at the DPMA included heading the Directorate General for Information as well as the Directorate General for Patents and Utility Models.

In December 2023, Dr Skottke-Klein took up the position of Vice-President. In addition to her responsibilities for two of the DPMA’s major Directorates General, she has made significant contributions at both national and international level to the further development of the DPMA, its strategic direction and digital transformation. She has also worked to strengthen dialogue with the Office’s users and deepen international cooperation.

The German Patent and Trade Mark Office

Inventiveness and creativity need effective protection. The DPMA is the German centre of expertise for all intellectual property rights – for patents, utility models, trade marks and designs. As the largest national patent office in Europe and the sixth largest national patent office in the world, it represents the future of Germany as a country of inventors in a globalised economy. Its approximately 2,800 employees at three locations – Munich, Jena and Berlin – provide services to inventors and companies. They implement the Federal Government's innovation strategies and further develop national, European and international protection systems.

Fotos: DPMA, Barbara Gandenheimer

Last updated: 30 October 2026