Steering committee

The IVM's head is a Steering Committee that consists of the President and two Vice Presidents elected from the ordinary members, as well as one Vice President elected from the supporting members. The highest organ is the General Meeting. The association's daily work is carried out by the staff of the headquarters' premises in Essen, led by the general manager.

In order to consider specific interests and interrelated subjects there are expert committees and research groups that are supervised by the office in Essen. Furthermore the IVM represents its members on an international basis in research groups of the European Association ACEM and in committees of the European Union.

Michael Sommer (President)

Michael “Mike” Sommer began his professional career after graduating from high school in 1990 as a commercial trainee at the BMW branch in Munich. He then qualified as a business administrator and studied business administration with a specialization in marketing through distance learning. Until 2001, he held various positions at the BMW branch in Munich and then at BMW Motorrad. There, he took on his first management role as Head of Dealer Development in 2001. From 2004 to 2008, he was Head of Marketing for the Asia region for BMW and MINI. In 2008, he took over as Head of the BMW Motorrad Center in Munich. From 2012, he was managing director of Automag GmbH, a BMW and MINI dealer in Munich. In 2018, he returned to BMW Group headquarters and took over as head of the Retail Business Development department at BMW Group. In 2019, he took over as head of the BMW Brand Communication department. He has been head of BMW Motorrad Germany since 2021.

Joshua Brosius (1st Vice President)

Joshua Brosius has been Managing Director of Ducati Motor Deutschland GmbH since June 2025 and is responsible for the German operations of the Italian premium motorbike brand.

He began his career at the KTM Group, where he held various positions in international sales and marketing. Among other things, he was responsible for importer markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as well as international marketing activities for Husqvarna Motorcycles.

He then joined Ducati, initially taking up the position of Marketing Director for Germany. From 2023 to 2025, he served as Marketing Director for Ducati China in Shanghai, where he was responsible for the company’s branding, communications and marketing activities in the Chinese market.

Since his return to Germany, he has been head of Ducati Motor Deutschland GmbH and is responsible for sales, marketing and after-sales.

In 2026, Joshua Brosius was elected to the Executive Committee of the German Motorcycle Industry Association (IVM), where he serves as First Vice President.

Albert Erlacher (2nd Vice President)

Born in St. Pölten in 1963, married with one child, Albert Erlacher combines a passion for technology with business management expertise.

Following his training in mechanical engineering and a degree in economics with a focus on marketing and organisation, he began his career at Honda in 1991.

His career has taken him across Austria, England and Japan, holding various roles in product planning, marketing and sales – among other things, he was involved in the development of the Honda Jazz.

These international postings have had a lasting influence on his understanding of markets, customer needs and brand management.

Albert Erlacher has held senior positions in Germany for many years.

Following roles in the automotive sector and as Head of Power Products, he is now Head of Motorcycle Branch Germany, responsible for the motorcycle business – with the aim of actively driving growth, innovation and enthusiasm for the brand.

André Walek (3rd Vice President)

André Walek has been working in the motorcycle industry since 1994 and took over the management of Nolan Germany in 2003. Since 2019, Nolan Germany has been part of 2 Ride Holding, which also includes the brands "Shark", "Bering", "Segura", "Cairn", "Troy Lee Designs" and "Casco". André Walek has since been Country Manager and authorized representative of 2 Ride Germany GmbH.