Charlotte

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Charlotte Warburg Chapter was formed in October 2003 and is part of the region’s vibrant German and international community. Home to over 200 German-owned companies, the region boasts one of the highest concentrations of German business in the United States.

The Charlotte Chapter hosts breakfast briefings and lunch or evening discussions on various political, social, cultural, economic, and business topics of current interest. The events generally appeal to the German-American business community, academics, and community members interested in global affairs. The Chapter also partners with local secondary schools and universities to organize events tailored to students and faculty when possible.

The Charlotte Chapter cooperates with the German Honorary Consul, the German American Chamber of Commerce, N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation, Davidson College, the World Affairs Council of Charlotte, the Charlotte Chamber, the Charlotte Regional Partnership, the Alemannia Club, the German Language and Cultural Foundation, and the German Consulate in Atlanta.

Each year, the Charlotte Chapter hosts nearly two dozen different events. Recent speakers have included Thomas Silberhorn, Member of the German Bundestag and CDU/CSU Spokesperson for Transatlantic Relations; Oliver Jörg, Secretary General of the Hanns Seidel Stiftung; Ambassador (ret.) Stefan Schlüter, Program Director at the Diplomatic Academy of the German Foreign Office in Berlin; Helga Margarete Barth, Director for Human Rights, International Development, Health and Social Affairs and Coordinator for Sustainable Development at the German Federal Foreign Office.

Speakers covered various topics, from Germany and the global world order to domestic politics, the migration crisis, and cyber security.

About the Chapter Directors

Dom Lerario
Partner
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

Dom Lerario is a partner in the international business and M&A practice group of Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP. He focuses his practice on international business, economic development, and mergers and acquisitions. He is a leader within the international business community, serving on the board of directors of the World Affairs Council of Charlotte, the council of the North Carolina Bar Association International Practice Section, in addition to begin a co-director of the American Council On Germany’s Charlotte Chapter. He is also active in the Carolinas Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Business Alliance.

Dom assists companies with investments and expansions in the United States, including site selection and incentives, outbound investments and structuring, and domestic and cross-border M&A. He also counsels corporate venture capital divisions, family offices, and other private investors on investments into startups and emerging companies. In addition, Dom counsels clients on commercial contracting and general corporate law issues. Dom has particular experience in the manufacturing, retail automotive, fintech, and healthcare industries. He has represented a variety of public and private companies, including global financial institutions, private equity sponsors, life sciences companies, hospitals, and energy companies.

He has extensive travel and work experience in Asia, Latin America, and Europe. He and his wife, Elizabeth, are licensed therapeutic foster parents. In addition to their three “forever” children, they regularly serve as a home for children in long-term foster care. Through this work, he is a member of the board of directors of Foster Village Charlotte, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports children and families involved in the foster care system.

Prior to joining Parker Poe, Dom was an attorney with the Charlotte office of an international law firm. He received his law degree from Duke University, where he was the symposium editor for the Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law and a student attorney with the school’s Start-Up Ventures Clinic. He received his undergraduate degree from UNC-Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead-Cain Scholar.

Philipp Hauser
CEO
Groninger USA

Philipp Hauser is a global CEO and board‑level leader with more than 20 years of experience transforming industrial, manufacturing, and automation organizations across North America and Europe. Having lived and worked in the United States since 2004, he brings a unique transatlantic perspective to multinational leadership, organizational modernization, and global growth strategy.

Known for guiding complex companies through restructuring, market expansion, and operational excellence initiatives, Philipp blends deep technical insight with pragmatic, transparent leadership. He has consistently delivered improved profitability, streamlined global operations, integrated M&A acquisitions, and built high‑performing leadership teams capable of navigating disruption and long‑term strategic change.

Philipp currently serves as CEO of Groninger USA, where he leads North American operations and has executed major restructuring, supply chain redesign, and capacity expansion initiatives. His prior executive roles at EMCO Group, GF Machining Solutions, and other advanced manufacturing organizations further demonstrate his track record in strengthening competitive positioning and driving sustainable growth.

A dual U.S.–German citizen, Philipp is actively engaged in board, advisory, and leadership roles and contributes to transatlantic business communities through the German American Chamber of Commerce and the American Council on Germany.

About the Chapter Leadership Team

Hans Heinrich Hilgenstock
Director Business Development
Cargo Modules

After a total of 26 years with DHL Global Forwarding and Kuehne+Nagel, Hans Hilgenstock decided to join Cargo Modules in 02/2024. As Director Business Development, he is responsible to build up their new office in Charlotte, NC. Cargo Modules is an international air/sea logistics provider with four offices in the USA and a global network of large and powerful partners.

With Hans Hilgenstock’s 37 years of logistic experience, he is focused on external as well as internal business partners to optimize the supply chain of Cargo Modules’ customers for all their international and domestic logistics needs including US Customs Brokerage. Hans is a very active member of the German speaking (business) community and a lot call him the “German Godfather” of the greater Charlotte region. On behalf of Kuehne+Nagel, Hans Hilgenstock was presented the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance (formerly Charlotte Chamber)  “International Corporate Citizen of the year” (2016) and the prestigious “Mayor’s International Community Award” (MICA) presented by Charlotte’s Mayor Vi Lyles (2018).

Hans also acts as board of the “Charlotte International Cabinet” as well as a member of the Leadership Team of the “American Council on Germany”. He was on the board of the Deutsche Schule Charlotte for more than 10 years as well as the leadership team NC chapter of the GACC South.

After his apprenticeship program in Germany as well as a Master Degree in Logistics from the “Deutsche Aussenhandel- und Verkehrsakademie” (Bremen), her worked for +12 years in Germany before he moved with his family to San Diego, CA in February of 2001.

Hans has resided with his wife and four kids in Charlotte, NC since 2004 where he became instrumental to get the German speaking community together whenever there is a good occasion including the “Welcome to Charlotte” events for countless Foreign Direct Investors.

Kristina Lisa Alexandra Pointner
Founder & CEO
On Point Biosolids Advisors