The 53-year-old will take begin his new role immediately, taking over from Dr Axel Stepken, who led the company for more than 15 years.
TÜV SÜD is one of the world’s biggest testing, inspection and certification (TIC) companies, with more than 25,000 employees working in some 50 countries worldwide.
The company offers TIC services to a number of industries, including consumer electronics.
Bussmann, who has a background in aerospace engineering, said: “I very much look forward to the challenge of continuing TÜV SÜD’s long and successful track record.
“What I find particularly appealing are the company’s broad diversity of themes and geographical locations, as well as the enormous scope of our staff’s functional competence and technical expertise.”
Before moving to TÜV SÜD, Bussmann spent seven years as CEO of Hamburg-based Lufthansa Technik, the maintenance and repair arm of the German carrier. Prior to that he started his professional career in 1998 as a product engineer at ABB in Mannheim.