Mr. Axel Pawlik is the Managing Director of the RIPE Network Co-ordination Centre (RIPE NCC). The RIPE NCC is a membership association under Dutch law, which serves as Regional Internet Registry providing IP registration and other services in Europe, The Middle East, Central Asia and African countries located north of the equator.

Employed at the University of Dortmund in Germany from 1985 to 1992, Axel Pawlik contributed to the establishment of UNIX networking as a publicly available service in Germany through the University of Dortmund. This institution introduced Internet access services to the business community and general public. During the period 1987-1991, Mr. Pawlik also served as a member of the board of the German Unix Users Group (GUUG).

Understanding the demand for a commercial operation to provide Internet services, Mr. Pawlik founded EUnet Deutschland GmbH in 1992 and commercialised the operation. Under his leadership EUnet Deutschland GmbH became the market leader in Germany and one of the strongest EUnet networks in Europe.

Mr. Pawlik graduated from the University of Dortmund with a Masters Degree in Computer Science.