Daniel Patnaik - Biography

Daniel Patnaik was born in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt (Germany) in 1972.

After having completed his second state law examination, Daniel Patnaik started his career as a corporate lawyer in the legal department of AUDI AG in 2000, where he advised the Finance and Sales divisions and then, in a leadership position, the area of corporate law/Audi entities and the divisions of Technical Development, Procurement and Production.

Daniel Patnaik gained international experience in Washington D.C. and, from 2005 to 2008, in Dubai (UAE). In Dubai, he was responsible for the legal affairs of the Audi Volkswagen Middle East FZE investment company as well as the development of the dealer network in the Near and Middle East countries.

As Head of Legal Service for the Product Development Process at AUDI AG, Daniel Patnaik supported the entire life cycle of the products from 2018 to 2022. In this context, he was also responsible for the legal aspects of strategic fields of action at AUDI AG, such as autonomous driving, software/IT and artificial intelligence.

As of January 1, 2023, AUDI AG has appointed Daniel Patnaik as Human Rights Officer of Audi Group. In this staff role, which reports directly to the Board of Management of AUDI AG, he coordinates and monitors respect for human rights within the Audi Group and along the supply chain. Daniel Patnaik supervises the activities of employees who contribute to the fulfilment of corporate due diligence duties. His particular focus is on the human rights strategy of Audi as well as risk management monitoring with regard to human rights- and environmental-related impacts of the company's activities.

As Human Rights Officer of Audi Group, Daniel Patnaik delivers an important contribution to comply with legal requirements in the context of supply chain due diligence and supports the company’s strategic alignment with ESG (Environmental, Social, Corporate Governance) criteria.