Bodo Hombach
After completing elementary school, he completed training as a telecommunications craftsman in Duisburg between 1967 and 1970. He acquired admission to a technical college through the second educational path. From 1973 to 1978 he studied at the Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences and the Duisburg University of Applied Sciences and graduated with a diploma in social sciences. Between 1974 and 1976 he worked as personal assistant to the chairman of the DGB regional district of North Rhine-Westphalia, and from 1976 to 1979 as regional manager of the North Rhine-Westphalia Education and Science Union. From 1979 to 1991, Bodo Hombach was state manager of the SPD in North Rhine-Westphalia. Bodo Hombach served as a member of the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament from 1990 to 1999. During this time he was the economic policy spokesman for the SPD and chairman of Investigative Committee I. In the private sector, Bodo Hombach was managing director of Preussag (Salzgitter) Handel GmbH and Preussag (Salzgitter) International GmbH, Düsseldorf, from 1991 to 1998.
From June 17, 1998 to October 27, 1998, Hombach was part of the cabinet of North Rhine-Westphalia as Minister for Economic Affairs and Small Business, Technology and Transport. The then Chancellor Gerhard Schröder appointed Bodo Hombach head of the Federal Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Tasks in 1998. From 1999 to 2001, Hombach worked as special coordinator of the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe in Brussels. He has been managing director of the Essen-based WAZ media group since February 2002. In this role, Hombach was responsible for developing the publishing house into a multimedia-oriented company. In addition, he campaigned for the creation of professional journalistic standards in the newspapers and magazines of the WAZ media group in the Balkans. In 2003, the WAZ Media Group signed the OSCE Guidelines for Press Freedom in Southeastern Europe, and in July 2007 a joint agreement to promote press freedom, quality journalism and good working conditions at the WAZ Group's newspapers and magazines in Southeastern Europe with the "International Federation of Journalists" (IFJ).
In May 2007, the WAZ media group under Hombach's leadership adopted a binding code of conduct. In November 2008, the WAZ Group and IFJ donated the "Courage Prize" worth 10,000 euros for independent journalism that exposes corruption and other machinations of abuse of power. In April 2008, Hombach was appointed to the university council of the FernUniversität in Hagen. In the same month, Prime Minister Jürgen Rüttgers appointed him deputy chairman of the Future Commission of the North Rhine-Westphalia state government. The commission was chaired by the German-British sociologist and member of the House of Lords, Ralf Dahrendorf. Federal President Horst Köhler awarded Bodo Hombach the Cross of Merit 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2009. In December 2010, Hombach began teaching at the Institute for Political Science and Sociology at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn.
In January 2011 he was appointed moderator of the Initiativkreis Ruhr (IR), Essen. He has been a board member of the Brost Foundation since June 2011. In 2012 he left the WAZ media group. In November 2014 he was appointed honorary professor at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. In the same year he was awarded the Order Mérite Européen for special services to Europe.
From June 17, 1998 to October 27, 1998, Hombach was part of the cabinet of North Rhine-Westphalia as Minister for Economic Affairs and Small Business, Technology and Transport. The then Chancellor Gerhard Schröder appointed Bodo Hombach head of the Federal Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Tasks in 1998. From 1999 to 2001, Hombach worked as special coordinator of the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe in Brussels. He has been managing director of the Essen-based WAZ media group since February 2002. In this role, Hombach was responsible for developing the publishing house into a multimedia-oriented company. In addition, he campaigned for the creation of professional journalistic standards in the newspapers and magazines of the WAZ media group in the Balkans. In 2003, the WAZ Media Group signed the OSCE Guidelines for Press Freedom in Southeastern Europe, and in July 2007 a joint agreement to promote press freedom, quality journalism and good working conditions at the WAZ Group's newspapers and magazines in Southeastern Europe with the "International Federation of Journalists" (IFJ).
In May 2007, the WAZ media group under Hombach's leadership adopted a binding code of conduct. In November 2008, the WAZ Group and IFJ donated the "Courage Prize" worth 10,000 euros for independent journalism that exposes corruption and other machinations of abuse of power. In April 2008, Hombach was appointed to the university council of the FernUniversität in Hagen. In the same month, Prime Minister Jürgen Rüttgers appointed him deputy chairman of the Future Commission of the North Rhine-Westphalia state government. The commission was chaired by the German-British sociologist and member of the House of Lords, Ralf Dahrendorf. Federal President Horst Köhler awarded Bodo Hombach the Cross of Merit 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2009. In December 2010, Hombach began teaching at the Institute for Political Science and Sociology at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn.
In January 2011 he was appointed moderator of the Initiativkreis Ruhr (IR), Essen. He has been a board member of the Brost Foundation since June 2011. In 2012 he left the WAZ media group. In November 2014 he was appointed honorary professor at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. In the same year he was awarded the Order Mérite Européen for special services to Europe.