Wilfried von Rath was born in Mülheim an der Ruhr on April 10, 1964.
Having graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Bochum, followed by an MBA from Ashridge Management College in Berkhamsted, UK, Wilfried von Rath began his career as a Junior Partner with System Management, a consultancy firm in Heiligenhaus, in 1991.
In 1994, he joined the Lufthansa Group in Cologne as a consultant, becoming Senior Consultant Human Resources in 1996. Von Rath moved to Volkswagen Coaching in Wolfsburg to take up the post of Head of Management Development in 1998. He became a member of the Management Board of Volkswagen Coaching in 2004 and was named Head of Group HR Top Management in Wolfsburg in 2006. He was appointed Board member for Human Resources at Volkswagen Slovakia in Bratislava in 2011.
He moved to Augsburg to become the Member of the Executive Board of MAN Energy Solutions SE responsible for Human Resources in 2013. Wilfried von Rath has been the Board member for Human Resources at Volkswagen Passenger Cars in Wolfsburg since March 1, 2020.