SZ-Wirtschaftsgipfel

Friedrich von Bohlen comes from the Krupp dynasty. He studied biochemistry and received his doctorate in neurobiology. He has co-founded several biotechnology companies, including Lion Bioscience and Molecular Health, and in 2005 the investment company Dievini Hopp Biotech Holding. Their most valuable investment is the Tübingen-based company Curevac, which is working on a corona vaccine.

Sophie Boissard sees herself as a stage companion in the life of modern man. A graduate of Ena University, she worked for French politicians, then for the SNCF railroad company. Since 2016, she has been head of the nursing home operator Korian. This is perhaps the most difficult task, because it is about the last section. She knows about the bad image of the industry. She wants to change that.

Holger Engelmann, who studied business administration and was head of Webasto, suddenly became a well-known crisis manager overnight at the beginning of the year. That was in January, when a Chinese employee came to the headquarters of the automotive supplier in Stockdorf near Munich for a few days. That the colleague had brought the corona virus with her was only clear a few days later when the woman - back in China - tested positive. During her visit to Bavaria, colleagues were infected, and Webasto suddenly became a company known throughout Germany. And Engelmann reacted. He set up a crisis management team, organized coronavirus tests and ordered the 1000 employees at the headquarters to have a home office for a limited time.

How is our mobility changing? What will transport of the future look like? These are the questions that Barbara Lenz, born in 1955, deals with at the German Aerospace Center. There she heads the Institute for Transport Research. Lenz is also Professor of Transport Geography at the Humboldt University of Berlin.

Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia and candidate for the presidency of the CDU. Born in 1961, he is considered a close confidant of Chancellor Angela Merkel. If he wins the race for the CDU presidency, he could be nominated as the Union's candidate for chancellor and thus for her succession. Laschet leads a black-yellow coalition in Düsseldorf. He studied law and worked as a journalist. In 1979 he joined the CDU, in 2012 he became chairman of the NRW-CDU. Laschet was a member of the Bundestag and the European Parliament as well as state minister in NRW. Since 2017 he has been head of the state government.

Hildegard Müller, born in 1967, knows the interplay between business and politics better than anyone else. She was Chairwoman of the Junge Union, Minister of State in the Chancellor's Office under Angela Merkel, was responsible for the electricity networks at Innogy and now leads the VDA car lobby association with a steady hand. A woman among car guys - that's unusual too.

Frans Timmermans is Executive Vice-President of the EU Commission responsible for climate protection and the Green Deal. Before the Dutchman was the top candidate of the European Social Democrats in the 2019 European elections, he was responsible for cutting red tape and the rule of law as deputy to Jean-Claude Juncker. Before that he was foreign minister.

Andrea Pfundmeier likes to keep secrets. She is co-founder of the Augsburg-based company Secomba. Her software Boxcryptor encrypts data for the cloud. She recommends that founders work in networks. The experience of others can help in difficult situations.