After studying mechanical engineering at the Technical University Karlsruhe and business studies in Pforzheim and Sheffield (Great Britain), Markus Sandhöfner worked as a key account manager, product and industry manager in electromechanical drive technology. Markus Sandhöfner has been with B&R Industrial Automation since 2001. From 2002, he was responsible for the expansion and sales of B&R's US subsidiary in Atlanta, GA for over 5 years. From the head office in Eggelsberg (Austria) he took over international sales manager functions in 2008. In 2009 Markus Sandhöfner was entrusted with strategic business development tasks as a member of the Executive Board in Germany. Markus Sandhöfner has been managing director of B&R's German subsidiary based in Bad Homburg since 2014.

B&R is an innovative automation company with headquarters in Austria and offices all around the world. On July 6, 2017, B&R became a business unit of the ABB Group. As a global leader in industrial automation, B&R combines state-of-the-art technology with advanced engineering to provide customers in virtually every industry with complete solutions for machine and factory automation, motion control, HMI and integrated safety technology. With Industrial IoT communication standards like OPC UA, POWERLINK and openSAFETY as well as the powerful Automation Studio software development environment, B&R is constantly redefining the future of automation engineering. The innovative spirit that keeps B&R at the forefront of industrial automation is driven by a commitment to simplifying processes and exceeding customer expectations.