Peter Leibinger elected as new BDI President

Peter Leibinger (57) is to become the new President of the Federation of German Industries (BDI). Following his election by the General Assembly of the BDI on Monday, Leibinger will succeed Siegfried Russwurm (61) on 1 January 2025. In accordance with the association’s statutes, Russwurm will relinquish the office of President after two terms of office and become one of the BDI's Vice Presidents.

“After four eventful years as BDI President in a very challenging time both economically and politically, I am handing over responsibility to Peter Leibinger at the start of the new year with full confidence,” said Siegfried Russwurm. “Peter Leibinger combines in-depth knowledge of industrial SMEs and large companies with his passion for innovation and experience in political consulting. He has a broad international network and a profound understanding of the needs of German companies. This makes him exactly the right person to represent the interests of German industry as a strong economic voice with strategic foresight.”

“I am very much looking forward to this important task,” said Peter Leibinger. “My goal is to do my part to restore optimism in our industry about Germany as a business location. The current situation is difficult, but if Germany builds on its strengths and overcomes its weaknesses, we will be able to initiate a turnaround. With our innovative capabilities, research power and process-driven approach, we are very well placed to be globally competitive. Now we must reduce bureaucracy and eliminate other obstacles to unleash investment and thus growth. We need bold ideas and concepts.”

Peter Leibinger has been Chairman of the Supervisory and Administrative Board of Trumpf, the global high-tech company from Ditzingen, since 2023. Previously, as Chief Technology Officer of the group of companies specialising in machine tools and laser technology, he was responsible for research and development, sales, service, and the expansion of new business areas.

He is active on various supervisory and advisory boards. Leibinger is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the German federal Agency for Leap Innovations (SPRIN-D) and Chairman of the Advisory Board of Deutsche Private Equity Investmentgesellschaft. He is involved in numerous political, scientific and cultural committees and leads various church and cultural charitable foundations. He is a member of the Senate of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech) and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Arbeitskreis evangelischer Unternehmer e.V. (Association of Protestant Entrepreneurs).

Leibinger studied mechanical engineering at the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) in Aachen and graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering.

He was born in Stuttgart in April 1967, is married and has four children.

Further information and images of Peter Leibinger can be found here.
 

In addition to the new BDI President, the General Assembly also elected the Vice Presidents for the next two years.
These are from 1 January 2025:
 

BDI President 2025/26

Dr.-Ing. E.h. Peter Leibinger
 

BDI Vice Presidents 2025/26

(in alphabetic order):

 

Reiner Blaschek

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) 

ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products

 

Peter Hübner

Member of the Executive Board 

STRABAG AG 

 

Bertram Kawlath

Managing Partner

Schubert & Salzer GmbH

 

Dr.-Ing. Gunther Kegel

Chairman of the Executive Board 

Pepperl+Fuchs SE 

 

Hildegard Müller

President

German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA)

 

Ingeborg Neumann

Managing Partner

Peppermint Holding GmbH

BDI Treasurer

 

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Siegfried Russwurm

President 2021 – 2024

Federation of German Industries (BDI)

 

Dr. Markus Steilemann

Chairman of the Board of Management, Chief Executive Officer

Covestro AG

 

Dr. Ralf Wintergerst

Chairman of the Management Board and Group CEO 

Giesecke+Devrient GmbH

  

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