Press Release
DEKRA Marks Centennial with Grand Celebration: A Century-Long Mission, A Safer Future Ahead
Shanghai - September 12, 2025 -- DEKRA, one of the world’s leading testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) organizations, marked its 100th anniversary in 2025. To celebrate this centennial milestone, DEKRA APAC hosted a grand ceremony in Shanghai on September 12.
Mr. Lei Zhai, District Mayor of Jing’an, Shanghai; Mr. Lukas Meyer, Deputy Consul General of Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Shanghai; Mr. Stan Zurkiewicz, Chairman of the Management Board DEKRA e.V. & DEKRA SE, and CEO; Dr. Kilian Aviles, Executive Vice President of DEKRA Group and Head of Asia Pacific Region; and Mr. Hangjun Wu, Senior Vice President of DEKRA Asia Pacific Region, Managing Director of Mainland China & Hong Kong. Nearly 500 guests — including clients, partners, and industry stakeholders — attended the event to reflect on DEKRA’s century long legacy in safety and to look ahead to future advances in safety innovation and sustainable development.
“Jing’an is a hallmark district of Shanghai’s high-end, international service industry and is home to many globally influential institutions, including DEKRA,” said Mr. Lei Zhai, District Mayor of Jing’an. “As one of the first organizations included in our ‘Global Service Providers’ program, DEKRA has effectively supported enterprises enhance both product compliance and market confidence, with high-level, end-to-end testing and certification services. ”
Founded a century ago amid profound social and technological change, DEKRA began with a mission to enhance road safety as motor vehicles entered everyday life. That mission has expanded over time into a broad portfolio spanning automotive, electrical and electronic engineering, telecommunications, energy, and sustainability.
At the 100 Years of DEKRA Celebration, DEKRA CEO Mr. Stan Zurkiewicz reaffirmed the Group’s long-term commitment: “In a complex and rapidly changing global environment, DEKRA will continue to build on its legacy by focusing on three strategic areas: Mobility, Digital Trust, and Sustainability. Safety is a universal, enduring need. With responsibility and innovation, DEKRA is committed to shaping a safer, more secure, and more sustainable future.”
Over the past century, DEKRA has grown into the world’s largest independent non-listed expert organization in the testing, inspection, and certification sector, with nearly 50,000 employees operating in more than 60 countries and regions.
Mr. Lukas Meyer, Deputy Consul General of Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Shanghai, noted: “DEKRA exemplifies core German values of excellence, social responsibility, and a forward-looking commitment to innovation. At the same time, DEKRA’s journey in China highlights vast potential of Sino German cooperation — combining experience, creativity, and a shared vision of progress.”
The Asia-Pacific region has become a defining chapter in DEKRA’s global story. Over the last two decades, DEKRA has steadily increased strategic investments and strengthened local partnerships across Greater China, Japan, Korea, India, Vietnam, and New Zealand, serving tens of thousands of customers and delivering assurance in safety, trust, and sustainability.
“Asia-Pacific, and China in particular – has become the strategic focus of DEKRA,” said Dr. Kilian Aviles, Executive Vice President of DEKRA Group and Head of Asia Pacific Region. “Shanghai, as our Asia-Pacific headquarters and an innovation hub for the Group, plays a pivotal role in shaping future mobility, artificial intelligence, and renewable energy.”
Since entering China in 2006, DEKRA has continuously expanded its service network. Anchored by its flagship testing center in Shanghai and supported by high-tech laboratories in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Kunshan, Wenzhou, Ningbo and Hefei, DEKRA provides cutting-edge testing, certification and compliance assurance for industries including e-mobility, communications, intelligent manufacturing, and renewable energy, empowering our partners to innovate safety and building digital infrastructure that is resilient, regulatory-compliant, and trusted by design.
Mr. Hangjun Wu, Senior Vice President of DEKRA Asia Pacific Region, Managing Director of Mainland China & Hong Kong, emphasized: “DEKRA is committed to the principle of ‘rooted locally, serving locally.’ Long-term success can only be achieved by deep engagement with the Chinese market and close collaboration with local enterprises and industries.”
The 100 Years of DEKRA Celebration featured immersive thematic showcases, and a historical retrospective film, bringing DEKRA’s century-long journey from its founding in Berlin to becoming a global leader vividly to life. Guests witnessed DEKRA’s enduring mission of ensuring safety, security, and sustainability and joined in celebrating a century of excellence.
For 100 years, DEKRA has remained steadfast in its commitment to safety, security, and sustainability. The celebration was not only a commemorate of past achievements, but also a solemn promise to the future. In an era defined by both transformation and challenge, DEKRA will continue to build on its century of experience, guided by its enduring mission – contributing to global safety and embarking on a new chapter of transformative growth.