Director and member of the Executive Committee, IW

• Born 1962 in Düsseldorf
• 1982 to 1987: Studied economics and medieval and modern history at the Justus Liebig University in Giessen, study visit to the University of East Anglia in Norwich
• 1987 to 1989: Doctoral studies in economics
• 1987 to 1991: Research assistant at the Chair of Economics and Finance at the University of Giessen
• 1991 to 1995: Research assistant on the staff of the German Council of Economic Experts in Wiesbaden
• 1995 to 1999: Secretary General of the German Council of Economic Experts
• 1999 to 2004: Chief Economist at DekaBank in Frankfurt am Main, from 2001 also Head of Economics and Communications
• Since 2001: Honorary Professor at the EBS Business School in Oestrich-Winkel
• Since 2004: Director and member of the Executive Committee of the Cologne Institute for Economic Research 
• 2016 to 2017: Gerda Henkel Adjunct Professor at Stanford University
• 2019 to present: Adjunct Professor at Stanford University
• Honoured with the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by the Federal President
• Chairman of the Supervisory Board of TÜV Rheinland AG
• Member of the Supervisory Board of Allianz Global Investors Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH and SRH Holding
• Deputy Chairman of the Board of Atlantik-Brücke
• Permanent guest on the Executive Committee of the Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA) and the Federation of German Industries (BDI)
• Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne
• Trustee of the Foundation of German Business
• Research Council of the Justus Liebig University Giessen
• Scientific Advisory Board of the journal Wirtschaftsdienst