The Board of Trustees appoints the Chairman of the Board of Directors monitoring his/her management of the Foundation’s business; it has to be informed on all decisions of fundamental importance concerning the Foundation. “Ex officio” members of the Board of Trustees are (in order of statutes):

• The Premier of North Rhine-Westphalia
• The Premier of Saarland
• The Federal Minister of Finance
• The Federal Minister of Economics and Technology
• The Chairman of the Industrial Union for Mining, Chemistry and Energy

Eight “further” members are appointed for terms of up to five years respectively. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees shall be selected from among the “further” members. The Foundation’s statutes regulate the respective structure of the Board of Trustees. 

Members of the Board of Trustees (as of 13 May 2011):

Chairman

• Ulrich Hartmann

Ex officio Members

(in order of statutes)

• Hannelore Kraft, Member of the Landtag (state parliament), Premier of North Rhine-Westphalia
• Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Member of the Landtag (state parliament), Premier of Saarland
• Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble, Member of the Bundestag, Federal Minister of Finance
• Dr. Philipp Rösler, Federal Minister of Economics and Technology
• Michael Vassiliadis (Vice Chairman), Chairman of the Industrial Union for Mining, Chemistry and Energy

Further members

• Ralf Hermann, Chairman of the Corporate Works Council of Evonik Industries AG
• Dr. Stephan Holthoff-Pförtner, lawyer and notary
• Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Keitel, Chairman of the BDI
• Ludwig Ladzinski, Chairman of the Works Council Union RAG Corporation
• Dr. Jens Odewald, Odewald & Compagnie GmbH
• Roland Oetker, Acting Partner ROI Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH
• Ernst Schwanhold, Minister of State ret.