General Assembly and Executive Board of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The most important bodies of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry are the General Assembly and the Executive Board. They represent the 79 Chambers of Commerce and Industry. These bodies determine the economic policy guidelines of the Chamber organization and are responsible for the strategic orientation of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry towards politics, administration, and the public.

In the General Assembly of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, all 79 Chambers of Commerce and Industry are represented with one vote each. Among other duties, the General Assembly elects the President of the German Chamber, appoints the Chief Executive Officer, adopts the budget, and determines the guidelines for the Chamber's work. It also adopts the economic policy positions of the German Chamber.

The Executive Board, chaired by the President of the German Chamber, also addresses current economic policy issues of the organization. It includes 32 other members who are delegated by the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the federal states according to a key based on the economic strength and specified in the statute.

Tasks and Functions

The Executive Board defines the fundamental lines of the economic policy work of the German Chamber. At this level, long-term priorities are agreed upon and central decisions affecting the entire Chamber organization are made, including:

  • Determination of the strategic guidelines of the German Chamber
  • Decision-making on fundamental economic policy positions
  • Responsibility for shaping the advocacy efforts
  • Monitoring the strategic work of the Chief Executive Officer
  • Decisions on major initiatives of the Chamber organization

Thus, the Executive Board sets the framework for the substantive work of the German Chamber. It also appoints the members of the German Chamber's specialized committees.

As the highest honorary body, the Executive Board sets the direction. Based on its resolutions, the executive board develops the content further, prioritizes topics, and oversees their implementation.

Current Members of the Executive Board

Prof. Norbert Aust
President of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce
(Managing Director of ABH Besucherhaus GmbH PIERDREI Hotel Hafencity Hamburg, Hamburg)

Ulrich Caspar
President of the Frankfurt am Main Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Majority shareholder and authorized signatory of Econo consultations Immobilien-und Unternehmensberatungsgesellschaft mbH, Frankfurt am Main)

Désirée Derin-Holzapfel
President of the Kassel-Marburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Managing Director of friedola 1888 GmbH, Meinhard-Frieda)

Dr. Hanno Dornseifer
President of the Saarland Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Member of the board of VSE AG, Saarbrücken)

Dr. Andreas Engel
President of the Coburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Managing partner of Leise GmbH & Co. KG, Coburg)

Uwe Goebel
President of the Osnabrück – Emsland – Grafschaft Bentheim Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Managing partner of Steu-Dat Steuerberatungsgesellschaft mbH, Osnabrück)

André Grobien
President of the Bremen Chamber of Commerce – Bremen and Bremerhaven
(Managing partner of Lampe & Schwartze KG, Bremen)

Stefan Hagen
President of the Bonn/Rhein-Sieg Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Managing Director of Hagen Consulting & Training GmbH, Siegburg)

Birgit Hakenjos
President of the Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Owner of HaCou Hakenjos Counsel e.K., Villingen-Schwenningen)

Krister Hennige
President of the Neubrandenburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Eastern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
(Managing Director of VINETA Hotels GmbH, Zempin)

Torsten Herrmann
President of the South Thuringia Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Managing partner of Hehnke GmbH & Co. KG, Steinbach-Hallenberg)

Max Jankowsky
President of the Chemnitz Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Managing Director of GL Gießerei Lößnitz GmbH, Lößnitz)

Axel Kloth
Vice President of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce
(Managing Director of DVG Immobilien Verwaltungs GmbH, Hamburg)

Franziska Leupelt
President of the Flensburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Board member of Druckhaus Leupelt AG, Handewitt)

Gerhard Oppermann
President of the Hanover Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Board member of Hannoversche Volksbank eG, Hanover)

Claus Paal
President of the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Managing partner of A+V Automation und Verpackungstechnik GmbH, Schorndorf)

Dr. Jan Stefan Roell
President of the Ulm Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Managing Director of RoellPartners GmbH, Ulm) 

Robert Rückel
Vice President of the Berlin Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Managing Director of Deutsche Spionage Museum DSM GmbH, Berlin)

Manfred Schnabel
President of the Rhine-Neckar Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Managing partner of Expert Esch Gesellschaft mbH, Mannheim)

Sebastian Stietzel
President of the Berlin Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Managing Director of MARKTFLAGGE GmbH, Berlin)

Susanne Szczesny-Oßing
President of the Koblenz Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Chairwoman of the management board of EWM GmbH, Mündersbach)

Elmar te Neues
President of the Middle Lower Rhine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Krefeld-Mönchengladbach-Neuss
(Managing partner of J. Finck GmbH & Co. KG, Krefeld)

Dr. Michael Waasner
President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Upper Franconia Bayreuth
(Managing Director of Gebr. Waasner Elektrotechnische Fabrik GmbH, Forchheim)

Jörn Wahl-Schwentker
President of the East Westphalia Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bielefeld
(Managing partner of Wahl GmbH & Co. KG, Bielefeld)

Dr. Marcus Walden
President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Rheinhessen
(Chairman of the board of Rheinhessen Sparkasse, Mainz)

Jens Warnken
President of the Cottbus Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Authorized officer of BÜHR Anlagenbau & Service GmbH, Wildau)

Dr. Heike Wenzel
President of the Aschaffenburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Managing Director of WENZEL Messtechnik GmbH, Heigenbrücken)

Honorary Presidents

Ludwig Georg Braun
Honorary President of the Kassel-Marburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Chairman of the supervisory board of B. Braun Melsungen AG, Melsungen)

Dr. Eric Schweitzer
Honorary President of the Berlin Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Shareholder of ALBA plc & Co. KG, Berlin)

Hans Peter Stihl
Honorary President of the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Personally liable partner of STIHL Holding AG & Co. KG, Waiblingen)

Agendas and Protocols 

Following the transformation of DIHK e.V. into the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), the DIHK became a public-law corporation on January 1, 2023. As a result, agendas and protocols of the committees of the new corporation are now public and available for download to all interested parties.

Here you can download the agendas and protocols of the committee meetings (German-language version only):

Contact

20230707D0931

Viktoria Butzin

Committee Assistant

E-mail
butzin.viktoria@dihk.de
Telephone
+49 30 20308 1106