honorary positions
Since my early years, serving society through voluntary work has been part of my focus. When I was in my mid-twenties, I was president of a multi-sports club for several years, which in retrospect turned out to be an excellent basis for working in management positions. Voluntary work is fulfilling for me and gives me the opportunity to give something back.
Franz Beckenbauer Foundation,
Ambassador & Foundation Board
During my six-week internship at FC Bayern Munich in 1997, I came into contact (independently of each other) with the then president Franz Beckenbauer and Heidi Burmester, who was working at Sportwerbe GmbH at the time. These encounters proved to be groundbreaking, as over time a close friendship developed, particularly with Heidi, which has now lasted almost 30 years. Heidi married Franz in 2006, where I and my family were among the selected guests. My experiences with Heidi and Franz were so positive that it was and is a matter close to my heart to follow the call of Franz, who has been in very poor health in recent years, and his lovely and very committed Heidi, and to accept an honorary position in the foundation, initially as an ambassador and later as a foundation board member.
In particular, I am available as a sparring partner for the further development of the foundation and for the necessary fundraising. The combination of the foundation's purpose and the personal connection to the founder and his family are the basis of my commitment, which I carry out with great joy.
Economic Research Institute Ifo (Friends Society),
board
In 2006, I joined the Friends of the Ifo Institute through my former employer Credit Suisse and was appointed to the Board of Trustees after being approached by former Ifo President Prof. Hans-Werner Sinn and the Chairman of the Friends of the Institute, Roland Berger. Following the generational change at board level initiated by Roland Berger himself, I decided to form the new board team together with Dr. Paul Bernhard Kallen (Burda) and Prof. Alexander Liegl (Noerr).
The research work and reputation of the Ifo Institute around Presidents Sinn and Fuest has impressed me from the beginning. The pronounced economic competence on the research side with the very convincing leaders in combination with the supportive people in the various committees bring excellent discussions and impulses, but also a certain amount of attention when it comes to addressing economic policy issues. It is both a challenge and a pleasure for me to help, together with my fellow campaigners, at least within the scope of what is possible, to put our country on a good/better path. The annual strategic meetings in particular are of an extraordinarily high quality and focus on discussion in a still quite intimate and very high-caliber circle of friends.
