Managing Director of Bioland, Member of the Advisory Board of the State Government for Sustainable Development in Baden-Württemberg, Regional Group Spokesman for the Federal Sustainable Business Association (BNW), Managing Director of Agentur Blumberg – and now myclimate. How did this come about?
The advertised position sounded very tempting – I’ve been following developments at myclimate for many years and I just had to seize that opportunity. In addition, as a Tübingen resident, Reutlingen is right on my doorstep. I have been a “climate enthusiast” for a while – certainly since the initial signing of the Scientists for Future declaration – and I believe there is an urgent need to make further progress in this area and to support even more entrepreneurs in achieving CO2 savings.
Your commitment to the environment and climate protection goes back a long way. When did you first start looking into it?
As a child, I spent a lot of time on a small organic mountain farm in Switzerland. Later, I held a managerial position in the organic farming and food industry for several years. That’s another area where it’s a question of closing the cycles in the best possible way. Therefore, the concept of closed cycles has been close to my heart for many years – and as a father of four, climate protection is the most pressing issue here. So my children – now aged between 12 and 20 – have always been the most important drivers making me work towards a successful future in terms of effective climate protection.
You are a co-founder of the Scientists for Future movement. What goals do you attach to it?
The Scientists for Future network contains people from all disciplines – true believers who are all fighting for solutions to the climate issue in their respective professions. I find the discussions within this circle, of which I have been a member for almost five years, to be extremely enriching. It provides an opportunity to continually learn new things beyond your own professional boundaries, and allows you to better understand and make sense of things.
What do you think are the biggest challenges for climate protection?
One of the biggest challenges is to make progress on climate protection globally. The European Commission certainly has an important lever in its hands. I would like to see the politicians there pushing the Green Deal forward with great commitment and above all with great consistency, even now that Frans Timmermans has left office as the European Commissioner for Climate Action. As well as politics, however, we also need business. As a Regional Group Spokesman at the German Association for Sustainable Business, I am able to work with entrepreneurs who consistently push the issue of climate protection forward by identifying and implementing smart, innovative solutions. We need more of that!
Where do you see the greatest opportunities and potential?
Actually, I've noticed that business moves faster than politics. In addition, more and more entrepreneurs are coming to realise traditional business associations no longer represent them. It gives me hope to see that more and more Chambers of Industry and Commerce (IHKs) are recognising this, focusing on climate protection and providing relevant services to their member companies. But I am also hopeful about the expansion of renewable energies, which is now finally gaining momentum.
At myclimate, you will be Head of the Consulting and Solutions department. What are you particularly looking forward to?
I am certainly looking forward to a growing, very diverse team. The team has a variety of exciting professional backgrounds, which it is important to orchestrate in the best possible way in the interests of our customers. I look forward to it! And to developing new things and being a pioneer. Taking a deep dive into areas of responsibility and specialist fields that I don’t know anything about yet. Only if we are prepared to try new things will we find solutions to the climate crisis.
And finally, a few “either-or” questions:
Bicycle or public transport? Until now, I have always commuted far and wide to my workplaces by train – the Tübingen-Reutlingen route is crying out for a work bike. ;-)
Supermarket or marketplace? When time permits, we as a family buy fresh from the market. However, to be honest, this is rarely the case. But in any case we do mostly buy organic, and as far as possible also regional and seasonal produce. In general, we are a family that loves cooking.
Mountains or sea? My childhood was bound up with the Swiss mountains and we still spend our winter holidays in the Engadin valley. It’s no coincidence that one of my middle names is Urs. For a real summer, however, I need the Greek seaside – my family has had a holiday home there for 40 years.
And, very importantly for your future team: early bird or night owl? Definitely tend to stay up late (and usually one of the last ones left at the party).