Kaweh Mansoori (Hessian Minister for Economy, Energy, Transport, Housing, and Rural Areas and Deputy Prime Minister of the State of Hesse) was also unanimously elected as a new member of the board. Confirmed as board members were Dr. Bastian Bergerhoff (Treasurer of the City of Frankfurt), Dr. Thomas Book (Deutsche Börse AG), Thomas Groß (Helaba), Nick Jue (ING-DiBa), Bernd Leukert (Deutsche Bank), Dr. Cornelius Riese (DZ Bank), Dr. Felix Schwenke (Mayor of the City of Offenbach), Adnan Sheikh (Mayor of the City of Eschborn), Dr. Ingo Wiedemeier (Frankfurter Sparkasse), and Eva Wunsch-Weber (Frankfurter Volksbank). By virtue of his office as Chairman of the Society for Risk Management and Regulation e.V., Gerold Grasshoff (Boston Consulting Group) is also a member of the board of Frankfurt Main Finance.
Oliver Behrens was appointed to the Supervisory Board of DWS Group in June 2024 and subsequently elected its chairman. Until then, he was CEO of all Morgan Stanley companies operating in Germany and held other senior positions with the bank. Prior to this, Behrens spent nine years at DekaBank, where he initially managed the asset management division and later the institutional sales and trading division. He joined the DekaBank Board in 2007, where he held roles including Deputy CEO and CEO. His career began with an apprenticeship at Deutsche Bank AG.
The General Assembly of Frankfurt Main Finance expressed its gratitude to Gerhard Wiesheu for his significant achievements during his four-year tenure. Under his leadership, the financial center initiative succeeded in significantly expanding the Frankfurt financial center. Since Wiesheu took office, more than ten new members have joined the initiative. Additionally, Frankfurt successfully applied to host the board and chair of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and, earlier this year, the European Union’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA).
Hessian Prime Minister Boris Rhein said, “The Frankfurt financial center is of paramount importance for Hesse and Germany. For this reason, the state government agreed in its coalition agreement to continue strengthening the functionality and competitiveness of the financial center. I am pleased that, with Oliver Behrens, the financial center initiative has once again succeeded in recruiting a president who, like his predecessors Dr. Lutz Raettig and Gerhard Wiesheu, will advance the financial center. I thank Gerhard Wiesheu for his contributions to the Frankfurt financial center and the State of Hesse, as well as his special commitment to German-Japanese economic relations.” The Prime Minister specifically praised Wiesheu’s efforts to establish the ISSB and AMLA headquarters in Frankfurt, a project jointly supported by the city, state, and federal government.
Kaweh Mansoori, Minister for Economy, Energy, Transport, Housing, and Rural Areas and Deputy Prime Minister of Hesse, said, “The Frankfurt financial center is crucial for Germany as the largest economy in Europe and significantly contributes to Hesse’s economic strength. Frankfurt has long been more than just a banking location; it is a complete financial center ecosystem with various players. Frankfurt Main Finance gives them a strong voice. I thank Mr. Wiesheu, who led the association with tireless commitment and great expertise, contributing significantly to the successful strengthening of the financial center. His successor, Oliver Behrens, with his international and national experience in the financial industry, is once again a strong signal for the Frankfurt financial center. With him, both continuity and new dynamism are equally assured. I wish him much success and a steady hand.”
Stephanie Wüst, Head of the Department of Economic Affairs for the City of Frankfurt am Main, said, “The financial industry is of central importance to Frankfurt and a core part of the city. I am pleased that Frankfurt Main Finance has once again managed to appoint a president who knows the financial industry as well as few others. We congratulate Oliver Behrens on his election. His international experience and deep ties with Frankfurt give us hope that Frankfurt Main Finance’s success story as a showcase of the European financial center will continue. During Gerhard Wiesheu’s term, the ISSB and AMLA were located in Frankfurt, an effort for which the city thanks him wholeheartedly. Now, it is crucial to maximize the opportunities these new institutions offer for the region.”
Oliver Behrens, President of Frankfurt Main Finance, said, “I would like to thank you for the trust placed in me by electing me President of Frankfurt Main Finance. I am excited about this role, but I am also aware of the large shoes left by my predecessors. Expanding the competitiveness of the Frankfurt financial center is my top priority. With AMLA, Frankfurt has the opportunity to become a globally recognized hub for anti-money laundering. If we do this right, we can play at the top level among financial centers in big data analysis and artificial intelligence training. Additionally, I want to do everything I can to promote funding for the transformation of the economy towards greater sustainability, powered by the strength of private capital markets. And lastly, it is important to me to make wealth accumulation more accessible to broader segments of the population.”
Gerhard Wiesheu said, “It was a great honor and pleasure to represent the interests of the Frankfurt financial center as President of Frankfurt Main Finance. In the past four years, we have achieved much for the benefit of Frankfurt and the German financial industry. A key factor in these successes has been and continues to be the ‘we.’ When finance, politics, academia, and society all pull together, we can achieve great things. The joint efforts in the successful bids for ISSB and AMLA are impressive proof of this. Frankfurt’s advantages in the areas of regulatory authorities, infrastructure, universities, and skilled labor were crucial for these key placements – supported by the successful work of our financial center initiative in close cooperation with all other stakeholders. The steadily growing membership of Frankfurt Main Finance reflects the importance our initiative now holds. I am convinced that Frankfurt Main Finance will continue to grow under the new leadership of Oliver Behrens and remain the important voice of the financial center – for a strong Frankfurt.”
Franz von Metzler said, “The Metzler Bank has been part of the Frankfurt financial center for 350 years. As a new member of the Frankfurt Main Finance board, I am delighted to be able to contribute to strengthening and developing the financial center. In a time when the financial world is changing dynamically, it is crucial to continue strengthening Frankfurt as an international financial center, to drive innovations, and to set sustainable impulses for the future of the entire financial sector.”
