The German Symposium - LSESU German Society

The German Symposium
at LSE

Contents
Introduction 1
Celebrating the German Symposium at LSE 3
Message from Dr Eckhard Lübkemeier 3
Message from Professor Judith Rees 4
German Symposium 2002 6
President’s memories 6
Agenda and Committee 9
German Symposium 2003 10
President’s memories 10
Agenda and Committee 13
German Symposium 2004 14
President’s memories 14
Agenda and Committee 17
German Symposium 2005 18
President’s memories 18
Agenda and Committee 21
German Symposium 2006 22
President’s memories 22
Agenda and Committee 25
German Symposium 2007 26
President’s memories 26
Agenda and Committee 29
German Symposium 2008 30
President’s memories 30
Agenda and Committee 33
German Symposium 2009 34
President’s memories 34
Agenda and Committee 37
German Symposium 2010 38
President’s memories 38
Agenda and Committee 41
German Symposium 2011 42
President’s memories 42
Agenda and Committee 45
List of speakers 46

Introduction
Who are we?
The German Society is a student union society
at the London School of Economics and Political
Science. With currently over 500 members, the
Society has become the largest German student
society in the UK. With membership open to
everyone, our reach now goes far beyond LSE.
What do we do?
Our aim is to promote a wider interest in German
politics, economy and culture at LSE and amongst
our fellow students. We organise a wide variety
of events, ranging from meetings with members
of the German Bundestag at the German Embassy
and cultural events such as panel discussions and
the screening of German movies to recruitment
events with firms targeting our members. The
Society’s flagship event is the annual German
Symposium which has become the largest and
most successful annual student event at LSE. A
week of events features guest speakers from
politics, business, media and culture.
The London School of Economics’ international
student and staff body, with over 8,000 students
from 140 countries, makes the LSE a world class
centre for its concentration of teaching and
research across the full range of the social, political
and economic sciences. It is part of LSE’s culture to
incorporate speakers from a variety of backgrounds
into academic debate, something to which the
German Symposium has contributed successfully
in the past.
Why this brochure?
Why is it structured like this?
This book provides an overview of the last ten
years of successful German Symposia and in it we
share our excitement about the highly interesting
and rewarding experience which the events have
brought to, so far, more than 1,000 attending
students at each Symposium, over 100 speakers and
over 100 committee members. Hoping to capture
the intellectually thrilling and dynamic atmosphere
of the events, we want to pay tribute to the
many outstanding speakers, thank our dedicated
supporters, and raise interest for future Symposia.
Peer Steinbrück with German Society Committee
1

Introducing the LSE German Society
I would like to offer my warmest
congratulations to the LSE German
Society on its successful work in
promoting British-German relations.
As ever, the LSE German Society deserves
the highest praise for its long-standing and
continuous work in promoting academic as well
as political dialogue between Germany and the
United Kingdom. As both our countries are close
partners in Europe and around the world, the
LSE German Society provides a showcase for this
exceptional friendship. Every year, the Society’s
German Symposium attracts top-class speakers
from Germany. The symposium has gained
a reputation for its open and controversial
debates, and its organisers can be proud
of the lively response it receives from the
British public. For anyone interested in
Germany, it provides excellent insight
into German politics, society and culture.
LSE is attracting an ever increasing
number of students and lecturers
from Germany, and thanks to the
German Society, their contribution to
academic life is even more visible. I am very
grateful to the LSE German Society for its tireless
work and wish it every success in the future.
Dr Eckhard Lübkemeier
Deputy Head of Mission
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
3

4
In the past academic year, LSE’s German
Society continued to build its German
Symposium into one of the most high-profile
lecture series organised by students at the
school, welcoming speakers from Germany’s
business, political and cultural spheres. The
2011 Symposium attracted more speakers
than ever before and offered a wide range
of talks about some of the most relevant
issues concerning Germany and its role in
the world. Highlights included a debate
on European integration, which received
considerable press attention across the
world, and a political panel discussion about
Europe’s and Germany’s economic and
political futures. In the coming year, I have no
doubt, the German Society will be working
hard to further improve the high standard
LSE has come to expect from the event.
Through its annual symposia, the German Society
makes a highly valued contribution to LSE’s diverse
community and provides a forum for discussions,
about the changing roles of Germany and
Britain in the world. I wish the committee the
best of luck for their efforts to organise an
equally successful symposium next year.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Judith Rees
Director, London School of
Economics and Political Science

6
German Symposium 2002
President’s Memories
Proud of being German? Some of us had struggled
with our national identity all our lives. Different
cultures were passionately embraced; the less
one was considered to be German, the better.
Studying in an international environment such as LSE changed
perceptions. Being able to compare our country to others made
us see its achievements in a different light: our modern social
market economy, our democracy, our two-thousand year old
history, our rich traditions and culture. In the course of these
reflections we discovered that – while most countries were
well represented through very active country societies – the
German Society did not have even 50 members, despite the
fact that there were hundreds of German students at LSE and
many more who studied our language and history. Our vision
for the German Symposium (then still called ”German Week”)
emerged: to clear up some of the misconceptions about Germany
by highlighting its diversity through speaker events, discussion
panels, film screenings and a party, all over the course of one
week. We aimed to create an interest in our country by fostering
a lively debate between students and academics alike.
It was a difficult start for the eight of us. As this was the
first German Symposium, we were not able to refer back to
any prior speakers. Neither staff nor fellow students were
convinced that the venture would become a success. Some
speakers cancelled on short notice and, with a budget of
only £500, we were not able to offer travel reimbursement.
Therefore, trying to convince guest speakers to believe
in and participate in our vision was a great challenge.
I still remember the evening Thomas Gottschalk called. Rushing
to the phone in my pajamas, I was convinced that a friend was
playing a prank on me by mimicking Mr Gottschalk’s voice.
Relaxing on the sofa, I greeted him in an overly flamboyant
manner. He voiced his interest in coming to our event and
eventually inquired very politely, “As this is the normal procedure
when I’m asked to speak somewhere, will you be able to pay for
my speech?” In mock seriousness I replied “But of course not,
Mr Gottschalk, we are a poor student society.” He inquired
further: “What about my travel expenses?” I firmly replied: “Again,
sorry Mr Gottschalk, but there is nothing we can do.” He seemed
surprised and asked, laughingly: “Oh, so one has to feel honoured
to be invited to speak at LSE for free?” “Yes, Mr Gottschalk, you
should consider yourself very lucky”, I replied, still convinced I
was actually talking to my friend. Baffled, he said: “OK, then... I’ll
attend.” By the end of our conversation I suddenly realised that
I had been speaking to the real Gottschalk – I sat up in horror
and surprise, just managing to stammer a grateful goodbye.
From then on everything went smoothly. During a fantastic
opening event with more than 500 excited students, Gottschalk
clearly proved that we Krauts can have a wonderful sense of
humour – his modesty and charm will not be forgotten. The
speeches and debates during the week were enlightening
for all of us. Some speakers like Willy Bogner and Professor
Simson cordially invited us to a dinner after their events. Apart
from our generous sponsor BASF, the Prince of Bavaria sent
us 600 Litres of Bavarian beer to guarantee an unforgettable
Oktoberfest Party in the Underground bar. There were
even moments of historic magnitude in our lecture theatres
– when Konrad Adenauer missed his flight and had to dial
in for a debate, his voice, crackling through the phone,
sounded as if his grandfather had risen from the dead.
All in all, I am proud that what we started has become
a regular and appreciated fixture on the LSE academic
calendar. And I am also grateful to my successors who
have taken the idea further and established the German
Symposium as the most successful student event at the LSE.
Nicola von Hoenbroech (born Kammer)

Pictures
(from top, L-R)
1 Thomas Gottschalk
2 Thomas Gottschalk
and members of the
German Society
3 Audience
4 Panel, 4 February
7

8
German Symposium 2002
Pictures
(from top, L-R)
1 Waltraud Schelke,
Martin Korbmacher
2 Panel, 8 February
3 Willy Bogner
4 Wilhelm Simson

Agenda 2002
Day Title of event Speaker
4 February Laughing Krauts: Existence of
a European sense of humour?
A Transforming Society?
German Politics and Culture.
6 February ‘Ski to the Max – The Making of’
Film Presentation
7 February People: The driving force
of globalisation
8 February The Future of Germany’s Economy:
struggling or striving?
Committee 2002
Oktoberfest with beer sponsored by
HRH The Prince of Bavaria.
Nicola Kammer
(now von Hoenbroech)
President
Nikolai von Loeper Secretary
Jan Bender Treasurer
Caroline Schmutte Vice-President
Julius Ekhardt Entertainment Officer
Thomas Gottschalk (TV Host)
Konrad Adenauer (Grandson of the first chancellor)
Petra Bläss (Vice-Parliamentary Leader of the PDS)
Dr Claus Mueller
(Political Department, German Embassy to the UK)
Ferdinand Oetker (Member of the Oetker Family)
Professor Chris Brown
(Chair, Department of International Relations, LSE)
Willy Bogner (CEO, Bogner; Olympic Skier; Film Producer)
Professor Dr Wilhelm Simson (CEO, E.ON)
Andreas Ritter (Board of Directors, Allianz Venture Partners GmbH)
Martin Korbmacher (Head of Global Equity, Dresdner Bank AG)
Barry Stickings (Chairman, BASF plc)
Dr Olav Ermgassen (CEO, Ermgassen & Co)
Dr Waltraud Schelke
(Lecturer in political Economy, Ecomonics Department,
Free University of Berlin)
Joel Klein Sponsoring Officer
Sven Mikisch PR Officer
Gerhard Orgonas Events Officer
9

10
German Symposium 2003
President’s Memories
Sunday 2 February 2003, 2pm – the UN Security Council has
just ordered an emergency meeting on Tuesday 4 February.
Two hours later we get a call from the foreign ministry that
Joschka Fischer, Germany’s foreign secretary at the time
and one of our lead speakers, will not be able to speak at
the German Symposium as he will have to attend the UN
security council meeting. We accepted this sudden change
of plan and obviously immediately rescheduled the event.
Sudden deviations from the programme like this one were
expected and in fact created some of the excitement of
organising one of the largest student events at LSE. Nicola
Kammer and her team had taken on an enormous challenge
in 2002 by organising the first German Week at LSE. It was
our task to take the rebranded Symposium, its panellists,
the size of the audience and the sponsors to the next level.
Building on the prior year’s outstanding committee work, we
managed to increase the size of the German Society to over
300 members. Due to the strong interest from other universities
such as KCL, UCL and Oxbridge we also started to offer affiliate
memberships for non-LSE students. In order to widen our
reach and to keep alumni and current members up to date we
built the first LSE German Society webpage (www.lsegs.de).
The increased reach of the German Society greatly helped us
to attract new sponsors, such as Bertelsmann and Siemens.
The first panellist who agreed to speak at the German
Symposium 2003 was Harald Schmidt, who kicked off
the week with a stunning performance in a full! Peacock
Theatre poking fun at everyone including German politicians,
business personalities and fellow entertainers.
Another highlight was Friedrich Merz’s review of the status of the
German economy and his sharp insights into economy reform.
The speech was followed by a very lively and highly interesting
discussion among Friedrich Merz and the student audience.
Friedrich Merz clearly demonstrated his superior knowledge of
the economic bodies and presented himself as a highly capable
agent for change. Günter Verheugen added his deep insights
into the European Union to the Symposium by making an
impressive case for the expansion of the Union which he viciously
defended in a heated debate among him and the audience.
In the Symposium’s last and very memorable lecture Professor
Mommsen, Dr Friedman and the German ambassador to
the UK, Thomas Matussek, led an inspiring and intellectually
stimulating debate on the status of the German political
landscape, drawing particular attention to Germany’s
foreign politics at the time of the starting war in Iraq.
The intense week provided many opportunities to formally
exchange ideas and opinions among students, academics and
panellists in debates, but also allowed for informal discussion at
four lively receptions. Eventually the German Symposium was
concluded by the traditional and very well attended Oktoberfest.
I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to
work with such an outstanding committee consisting of
14 highly talented characters. Furthermore I am delighted
to see that the Symposium continues to attract a range of
high profile speakers and a large audience. I wish future
German society committees every success in further building
this unique event while maintaining its distinct spirit.
Christian Resch

Pictures
(from top, L-R)
1 Harald Schmidt
2 Friedrich Merz
3 Günter Verheugen
4 Barry Stickings,
Max Scheder-Bieschin
11

12
German Symposium 2003
Pictures
(from top, L-R)
1 Barry Stickings
2 Michel Friedman
3 Olav Ermgassen,
Christoph Stanger
4 Oktoberfest Party
5 Panel, 5 February

Agenda 2003
Day Title of event Speakers
3 February Old Europe at Its Best Harald Schmidt (Late night talk host)
4 February Germany’s Businesses – Where Next? Barry Stickings (Chairman, BASF plc)
Dr Olav Ermgassen (CEO, Ermgassen & Co)
Dr Christoph Stanger
(Managing Director, Equity Capital Markets Goldman Sachs)
Max Scheder-Bieschin
(Managing Director, Corporate Advisory Group, Deutsche Bank AG)
5 February Germany: How to turn gloom into growth Friedrich Merz
(German MP, Dept. leader of CDU/CSU faction in Bundestag)
Professor Stefan Collignon (Chair, European Institute, LSE)
Where Did the Wirtschaftswunder Go? Professor Norbert Walter (Chief Economist, Deutsche Bank AG)
Dr Bernd Stecher (Chief Economist, Siemens AG)
Peter Jungen
(Entrepreneur; President, European Business Angels Network)
Sir Geoffrey Owen (Chair, Former Chief Editor, Financial Times;
LSE Managerial Economics and Strategy Group)
6 February European Union Enlargement Günter Verheugen (EU-Commissioner for Enlargement)
Professor Stefan Collignon (Chair, European Institute, LSE)
7 February Germany – A Country’s
Dr Michel Friedman
(Self-) Perception in Change?
Oktoberfest
(Vice-President, Central Council of Jews in Germany)
Dr Thomas Matussek (Germany’s Ambassador to the UK)
Professor Hans Mommsen (Historian)
Professor Chris Brown (Chair, Convenor of the International
Relations Department, LSE)
Committee 2003
Christian Resch President
Max Mittasch Secretary
Till-Gerrit Weidemüller Treasurer
Christine Cordel Vice-President
Miriam Alt Events Officer
Carl Christoph Ganahl IT Officer
Jan-Hendrik Hannaske IT Officer
Thomas Metscher Events Officer
Sven Mickisch Public Relations Officer
Rhana Neidenbach Sponsoring Officer
Lea Neubert Events Officer
Max Reichel Internal Organization
Robin Tyrangiel Sponsoring Officer
Carrie Walter Cultural Officer
13

14
German Symposium 2004
President’s Memories
Following several months of preparation and hard work
by all members of the committee, the Symposium was
about to start at the beginning of February 2004.
Rooms for talks and receptions had been booked, travel
arrangements had been made for the speakers, posters and
tickets had been printed, and a large marketing campaign was
just about to roll all over the LSE campus. Then we suddenly
learnt from the German press that one of our key speakers,
Florian Gerster, had resigned from his post as CEO of the German
Federal Labour Agency following weeks of media coverage about
the controversial use of management consultancies within his
organisation. Despite initial information from his office that for
obvious reasons he would not be able to attend the Symposium,
we were eventually able to convince him to hold his talk,
which heightened public interest in our event even further.
When originally planning the structure of the week we had tried
to select a range of events and speakers representing a broad
spectrum of German politics, business, and culture around
the Symposium’s title ‘Germany on the move – fast enough?’
Many of the events featured speakers introducing their ideas
for reform strategies for the then only slowly growing German
economy, whereby representatives of both international
companies and the public sector were given a chance to present
their often diverging opinions on those issues. Events about
immigration policy and recent history shed light on current
political and cultural developments in Germany as well.
Overall, the Symposium was undoubtedly a great
experience for all the guests who attended the events,
and the many speakers certainly enjoyed discussing their
topics with LSE’s international student community.
Simon Kubbies

Pictures (from top, L-R)
1 Florian Gerster
2 Panel, 12 February
3 Olav Ermagassen
4 Jürgen Kluge
5 Geofrey Owen
6 Alexander Dibelius, Simon Kubbies
15

16
German Symposium 2004
Pictures
(from top, L-R)
1 Society members
2 Erich Müller, Christoph Stanger
3 Joachim Gauck
4 Speaker’s gift presentation

Agenda 2004
Day Title of event Speaker
9 February At the Crossroads – Reforming
Germany’s Labour Market
Florian Gerster (CEO, Federal German Employment Agency)
Sir Geoffrey Owen (Chair, Former Chief Editor, Financial Times;
LSE Managerial Economics and Strategy Group)
European Economic Power – Does It Still Exist? Dr Jürgen Kluge (Head, McKinsey Germany)
10 February Innovations in German Business –
Dr Christoph Stanger (Managing Director, Goldman Sachs)
Ways Out of the Crisis
Dr Olav Ermgassen (Founder and Partner, Ermgassen & Co.)
Professor Dr Hans Erich Müller (Chair, FHW Berlin)
11 February Transformations in Post-Dictatorial Societies Joachim Gauck (former head of the Stasi files releasing agency)
Professor Dr Lothar Kettenacker (Chair, Deputy-Director of the
German Historical Institute London)
12 February Living in a Foreign Country – Multicultural Cem Özdemir (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Society or Segregation?
Max Maldacker
(First Counsellor for Political Affairs, German Embassy, London)
Professor Lord William Wallace
(Chair, LSE Department of International Relations)
13 February Modernisation – Reform – Innovation:
Rezzo Schlauch (Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal
Giving a green direction to Germany’s
Ministry of Economics and Labour)
socio-economic change
Professor Stefan Collignon (Chair, European Institute, LSE)
Capital Markets as Agents of Change
Oktoberfest
Dr Alexander Dibelius (Managing Director and Co-Head of
German-speaking countries, Goldman Sachs)
Felix Schönauer (London Correspondent, Handelsblatt)
Committee 2004
Simon Kubbies President
Darja Schabad Secretary
Johann Custodis Treasurer
Klaus Georg Schmitz Vice-President
Richard Seitz Vice-President
Oliver Spindler Vice-President
Mashfiq Haque Business Officer
Dominik Heckner Entertainment Officer
Verena Letzerich Public Relations Officer
Stephanie Meissner Entertainment Officer
Dennis Minnich Cultural Officer
Wilhelm Mirow Events Officer
Joachim Reinboth Business Officer
Christian Reusch Business Officer
David Scheller Events Officer
Laura Sunder-Plassmann Public Relations Officer
Max von Wallenberg Events Officer
Mike Williams Events Officer
Felix Witte Business Officer
17

18
German Symposium 2005
President’s Memories
The 2005 German Symposium’s motto was ‘A new
start, Germany back on track!’ Germany, awakening
from recession, was set to become the world’s
export champion once again and resume its place
as one of the foremost industrial nations.
On this note we invited a range of interesting speakers from
different sectors, banking, politics and industry, in order to have a
closer look at this marvellous revival. Some journalists who were
attending Rolf-E Breuer’s speech were, however, not so much
interested in his speech about the German economy as quizzing
him on his involvement in the attempted takeover of the London
Stock Exchange by the Deutsche Börse. His comments promptly
made the front page of the Financial Times the next morning.
The next day, we faced new problems, but pleasant
ones. For ‘Security in the Age of Globalisation’ and the
‘Afghanistan Talk’ long queues formed outside the lecture
rooms as many more people attended our events than we
had anticipated (which the speakers didn’t mind at all).
We heard fantastic and very interactive talks being carried
on during the adjoining drinks receptions till late.
We became aware of the power of the Symposium brand at
the Finance Panel. As Professor Norbert Walter had to cancel
at short notice due to business commitments, Deutsche Bank
decided within a matter of hours to send their Chief Operating
Officer, Hermann-Josef Lamberti, to join our panel discussion
in his place. In the light of the quality of the speakers, it was
clear that we needed an excellent turnout for this event, a hope
which motivated my countless prayers for our marketing
to be successful. Fortunately, the turnout was far beyond any
expectation, again causing long queues at the doors. When our
speakers arrived, everything was set for an intriguing discussion.
As the Symposium drew to a close, I began to look forward to
a cold beer. However, even during the Oktoberfest we had to
deal with some unexpected challenges when our DJ refused to
play Bavarian music. After some student protest the problem
was resolved by replacing the DJ and the ensuing party was
a great end for what had been a stressful, hectic, but also
extremely exciting and rewarding German Symposium.
Max von Wallenberg

Pictures
(from top, L-R)
1 Ulla Schmidt
2 Howard Davies
3 Panel, 10 February
4 Rolf E Breuer
5 Ulla Schmidt and society members
19

20
German Symposium 2005
Pictures (from top, L-R)
1 Colin T Roy
2 Wolfgang Grewe
3 Herman-Josef Lamberti
4 Speaker’s gift
presentation
5 Speakers and society members

Agenda 2005
Day Title of Event Speaker
7 February The Future of the German Banking Sector Dr Rolf E Breuer (President, Associations of German Banks)
Howard Davies (Chair, Director, LSE)
How Sustainable is a Market Based
Approach to Health Policy?
8 February Corporate Restructuring: is Germany
losing its competitive edge?
9 February Tea With the Devil – Afghanistan
Between Hope and Abyss
Innovation as a Success Factor in
an International Economy
Ulla Schmidt (German Federal Minister of Health)
Professor Mossialos (Chair, Social Policy Department, LSE)
Dr Burkhard Schwenker (CEO, Roland Berger Consultancy)
Professor Vanessa Finch (Chair, Department of Law, LSE)
Dr Reinhard Erös (Head, German Aid for Afghan Children)
Professor Christopher Greenwood (Chair, Department of Law, LSE)
Dr Michael Träm (CEO, A.T. Kearney Central Europe)
10 February Security in the Age of Globalisation Nikolaus Schmeja (Oberst a. D., former colonel in German military)
Financial Centre Frankfurt –
Forever Second to the City?
11 February European Capital Markets: a decade
in review, a decade in preview
Impact of International Accounting
on the German Economy
Oktoberfest
Committee 2005
Max von Wallenberg President
Marlies Kluike Secretary
Benjamin Weland Treasurer
Benedikt Kormaier Vice-President
Patrick Ansari IT Officer
Christian Bach Social Events
Sebastian Dickgiesser Marketing Officer
Tanja Drews Events Officer
Hermann-Josef Lamberti (CEO, Deutsche Bank AG)
Hans Peter Peters (CEO, Peters Associates)
Andrew Gowers (Chief Editor, Financial Times)
Colin T Roy (Head, Greenhill Germany)
Professor Ron Anderson
(Chair, Department of Accounting and Finance, LSE)
Carsten Kengeter (Partner and Co-Head, FICC Distribution Europe
of Goldman Sachs)
Professor David Webb
(Chair, Department of Accounting and Finance, LSE)
Professor Dr Wolfgang Grewe
(Chairman and Managing Partner EMEA, Deloitte)
Professor Richard Macve
(Chair, Department of Accounting and Finance, LSE)
Maximilian Leuschner Events Officer
Andre Wiedmann Events Officer
21

22
German Symposium 2006
President’s Memories
The organisation of a German Symposium inevitably
throws up a large number of challenges. Some are
predictable, such as dealing with last minute cancellations
or attempting to find appropriate venues through the
LSE Room Booking System (the bane of every Society
President). Others could be considered as more unusual:
taking a visiting speaker on a tour to some of London’s
tourist attractions or accompanying an accidentally
injured Committee member to hospital for stitching
during the LSE Oktoberfest (yes, it can get wild).
One of the aims of this year’s Symposium was to give an
indication of the changed political landscape following the
German election. To this end, we had invited speakers from
all parties in the Bundestag: Dr de Maizière (CDU/CSU), Mrs
Bulmahn (SPD), Professor Bisky (Left Party) and Mr Özdemir
(Green Party). Dr Gerhardt (FDP) unfortunately had to cancel
his speaking engagement shortly before the Symposium.
Ambassador Wrede opened what was to be a busy first day.
His speech on the UNESCO was followed by one of the more
complex events of the Symposium: the Higher Education
Panel. The panellists were able to conclude that it isn’t so
much a question of clusters (i.e. Oxbridge) vs. networks
(i.e. Studienstiftung), but should ideally be clusters and
networks. Cem Özdemir gave a very topical and heartfelt
talk on immigration and the Mohammed cartoon crisis. Both
Mrs Bulmahn and Mr Özdemir, who joined students for an
informal drinks reception, were later eclipsed in popularity
when Mrs Özdemir stopped by with her young daughter.
Dr Reichart’s entertaining talk clearly showed the difficulty in
improving a nation’s image by the example of the controversial
‘Du bist Deutschland’ campaign. Our second speaker of
the day, Professor Bisky, who had admirably arrived by lowcost
carrier, took a very generous amount of time to talk to
students about a wide range of topics, from growing up in
the GDR to the intricacies of forming a new political party.
The Finance Panel and Dr de Maizière’s speech made up the
Economics part of the Symposium. Minister de Maizière, the
first member of the new German cabinet to speak at LSE, asked
the audience for patience with Angela Merkel and the ‘Grand
Coalition’. Essential reforms, especially in healthcare and the labour
market, would be completed in due course, and he explained that
’The working atmosphere in the Coalition is excellent’. On the
last day, TV-show host Dr Friedman ended the Symposium with a
rhetorically excellent speech delivered to a packed lecture theatre.
The challenges of every German Symposium may
be different, but the experience is something no
Committee member would want to miss.
Benjamin Weland

Pictures (from top, L-R)
1 Edelgard Bulmahn
2 Thomas de Maizière
3 Michel Friedman
4 Marcel Reichart
5 Panel, 2 March
23

24
German Symposium 2006
Pictures (from top, L-R)
1 Hans-Heinrich Wrede
2 Lothar Bisky
3 Panel, 27 February
4 Speakers and society members

Agenda 2006
Day Title of Event Speaker
27 February Germany’s Involvement in the UN with
a Special Focus on the UNESCO
The Promotion of Academic Elites
in Germany and the UK
Immigration and Migration –
the Mohammed Cartoon Crisis
28 February Communicating Germany
– Germany as a brand
Germany After the Federal Elections 2005: The
new Left Party and its chances for the future
2 March Suggestions for Economic Growth
and Job Creation in Germany
The German Paradox: Are stellar
company profits and a dismal economic
performance here to stay?
3 March The Life of the Jewish Population in
Germany Today and Issues of Tolerance
Between Germans and Immigrants
Oktoberfest
Committee 2006
Benjamin Weland President
Klaus Brösamle Secretary/Vice-President
Clemens Metz Treasurer
Burkhard Binder Social Secretary
Nikolaus Schober Press Officer
Lea Bauer Member of the Board
Hans-Heinrich Wrede
(Ambassador of Germany to the UNESCO in Paris)
Edelgard Bulmahn (former Minister for Education and Research)
Professor Peter Gruss (President, Max-Planck Society)
Professor David Vande Linde
(Vice-Chancellor, University of Warwick)
Dr Robert Leonardi (European Institute, LSE)
Cem Özdemir (MEP, The Greens/European Free Alliance)
Dr Marcel Reichart (Managing Director, Hubert Burda Media)
Professor Lothar Bisky (Leader, Linkspartei.PDS)
Federal Minister Dr Thomas de Maizière
(Chief of Staff and Head of the German Federal Chancellery)
Professor Dr Norbert Walter
(Chief Economist, Deutsche Bank AG)
Joachim Spill
(Co-Head, Transaction Services, Ernst & Young Europe)
Fedor Schulten (Swiss Advisory Group, Goldman Sachs)
Dr Michel Friedman (TV-show host and former Deputy
Chairman of the Central Council of Jews in Germany)
Melchior Baron von Engelhardt Member of the Board
Bartosz Krupiczojc Member of the Board
Sebastian Reinecke Member of the Board
Golo Theis Member of the Board
Sonja Wittenberg Member of the Board
25

26
German Symposium 2007
President’s Memories
Two weeks before the Symposium kicked off, I
received a call: “Bundeskriminalamt (Germany’s
Scotland Yard) – am I speaking to Mr Metz?” My mind
started racing as to how the Bundeskriminalamt’s
jurisdiction could possibly extend to Sweden, where
I had recently taken an overly-eventful holiday. I was
much relieved to hear the caller was just confirming
security procedures for Gerhard Schröder’s lecture.
It only became clear after it was too late just how much extra
hassle events with current and former members of government
create. (If we had only known, we’d have probably opted for
movie nights instead.) The most interesting of the week’s many
unusual assignments was a 6.30am airport run (thanks Ben!) to
pick up security for their inspection of all the venues Gerhard
Schröder would be visiting. This expedition to Heathrow was
facilitated by Audi, who had kindly agreed to sponsor the German
Society’s transportation needs during the Symposium by providing
us with an A8 for the week. Maybe we can convince Audi to help
us organise a road trip to the ‘Real Oktoberfest’ in Munich...
The opening of the German Symposium by Gerhard Schröder
fortunately went very smoothly. In a packed Old Theatre,
the former Chancellor, in close collaboration with LSE’s
Director Howard Davies, managed to quash the common
English myth that Germans have no sense of humour.
In the run-up to the Symposium, the quantity of emails flying back
and forth reached a point where it was a rather daunting task
even to log on to a computer. After days of fearing my inbox, I
was put to shame by 74 year old Otto Schily, who, immediately
following his lecture, whipped out his laptop to check his emails
and calendar. Conversation was briefly stifled by my astonishment.
We were afraid that a proposed British Airways strike that week
would disrupt things. Our worries turned out to be unfounded,
though, as all our guests seemed to have decided to use
Lufthansa, the German national carrier, much to the pleasure of
Mr Mayrhuber, Lufthansa’s CEO. We of course expected his flight
to be spot on time, given his stature within the airline industry,
but shockingly even he couldn’t avoid Heathrow’s mayhem.
I had been told that there was a two minute delay,
a German disgrace.
Our imported Paulaner put a homely end to a busy week.
I would like to wish my successors all the best and am
curious as to what the future will hold for them.
Clemens Metz

Pictures (from top)
1 Gerhard Schroeder arrives
in Houghton Street
2 Otto Schily
3 Guido Westerwelle
27

28
Pictures (from top, L-R)
1 Otto Graf Lambsdorff
2 Ambassador Ischinger
3 Wolfgang Mayrhuber
4 Frank Mattern
5 Gerhard Schröder, interpreter,
Howard Davies

Agenda 2007
Day Title of Event Speaker
5 February Prospects for Peaceful Development
in a Globalised World
6 February Opportunities and Challenges
for the EU Constitution
Globalisation as a Challenge for
Politics and Policies in Germany
7 February Improving Germany’s Economic
Performance – Innovations and
Structural Reforms as Key Factors
How Does the Financial Services Industry
Contribute to Economic Growth in Germany?
8 February Aviation – Key to Germany’s
Economy: Lufthansa supporting
global mobility and trade
9 February Rich Companies! Poor Country? –
Perspectives on the German Economy
Oktoberfest
Committee 2007
Clemens Metz President
Selma Stern Secretary
Ella Stapelfeldt Treasurer
Klaus Brösamle Political Affairs Officer
Lea Bauer Member of the Board
Quirin Busse Member of the Board
Gerhard Schröder (former Chancellor of Germany)
Welcome note by HE Wolfgang Ischinger
(German Ambassador to the UK)
Howard Davies (Chair, Director of LSE)
Otto Schily (former Minister of the Interior)
Dr Ulrich Sedelmeier
(Chair, International Relations Department, LSE)
Dr Guido Westerwelle (Chair of the FDP/Die Liberalen)
Dr Paola Mattei (Chair, Social Policy Department, LSE)
Dr Otto Graf Lambsdorff (former Minister of Economics)
Dr Martin Lodge (Chair, Government Department, LSE)
Colin T Roy (Head of Greenhill Germany)
Jens Hofman (Managing Director Finance Group, Goldman Sachs)
Dr Pascal Frantz
(Chair, Department of Accounting and Finance, LSE)
Wolfgang Mayrhuber (Chairman and CEO, Lufthansa AG)
Sir Geoffrey Owen (Chair, Former Chief Editor, Financial Times;
LSE Managerial Economics and Strategy Group)
Frank Mattern (Head, McKinsey Germany)
Professor David Cairns
(Chair, Department of Accounting and Finance, LSE)
Anne Großmann Member of the Board
Bartosz Krupiczojc Member of the Board
Peter Kulka Member of the Board
Alexander Röhm Member of the Board
Dominik Schuster Member of the Board
29

30
German Symposium 2008
President’s Memories
“We have a problem!” is not necessarily what
anyone would want to hear during the opening day
of the LSE German Symposium. With just hours to
go before the opening lecture I was informed that
one of our speakers, scheduled for later in the day,
was stuck in Germany since his plane could not
take off due to a rather British problem – fog.
Only two hours before the lecture, we were given the all
clear signs – our speaker would take an alternative flight
and be in London on time for his lecture. This was but
one of several unanticipated events that the committee
would have to deal with over what would become
an interesting and truly interactive Symposium.
From the start, our speakers were able to share their enthusiasm
with the attending members of the German Society. Ambassador
Ischinger’s exciting lecture on “Germany, Britain and the future of
Europe”, which was very eloquently chaired by Sir Howard Davies,
engaged the student body and quickly turned into a dialogue
with numerous thought provoking questions from the audience.
On the same day Professor Zimmermann delivered another
highlight. Speaking in his unique style about the rather dry
topic of “Reform Policy in Germany” he enthusiastically made
the case for sweeping changes in the structure of the German
economy. Following the friendly and engaging atmosphere
of his lecture, Professor Zimmermann even joined several
students for a follow-up beer in a pub where he answered
the questions of some rather persistent enquirers.
A lecture that achieved prominence both in Bild and in the Spiegel
Online was delivered by Jens Lehman, German national goalkeeper
at the time. With people even sitting on the floor everyone was
keen to listen to Jens Lehman explaining some of the economics
behind football as well as answering the question of what sets
apart the German football team from that of the English.
A more confrontational yet thought provoking lecture
came from Dr. Gysi who challenged many of our
assumptions about economics. To the astonishment
of most of the audience, it seemed that Dr Gysi’s
suggestions appeared surprisingly logical at first sight.
Our traditional Oktoberfest concluded the year’s Symposium.
Members and friends of the German Society celebrated to
the tune of traditional Bavarian Volksmusik as well as proper
German beer until the early hours of the following morning.
What marked this Symposium was not just the interesting
and always informative lectures but also the more informal
dialogue between speakers and students. Be it a coffee break
ahead of a lecture, a reception or a beer afterwards, our
speakers impressed us with their knowledge and experience
and there was much that we were able to learn from them.
Organising such a symposium is always a challenge. During
both preparation as well as the actual running of the LSE
German Symposium 2008, it was thoroughly enjoyable
to work with a committee that was highly dedicated and
involved. I hope that this tradition of good team work
will continue and I wish the best of luck to those who will
organise the LSE German Symposium in the future.
Peter Kulka

Pictures
(from top, L-R)
1 Dr Jürgen Großmann, CEO RWE
2 Dr Gregor Gysi, Die Linke
3 Dr Klaus Zimmermann, DIW Berlin
31

32
German Symposium 2008
Pictures (from top)
1 Jens Lehman
2 Botschafter a. D. Wolfgang
Ischinger and Howard
Davies, Director, LSE

Agenda 2008
Day Title of Event Speaker
28 January Germany, Britain and the future of Europe HE Wolfgang Ischinger (German Ambassador
to the Court of St. James’s)
Howard Davies (Chair, Director of LSE)
Reform Policy in Germany Professor Klaus F. Zimmermann (President German
Institute for Economic Research, Berlin, Director IZA,
Bonn (Institute for the Study of Labor)
Dr Daniel Sturm (Chair, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE)
29 January The EU 50 years on – where does
that leave the nation state?
The Future of Judaism in Germany and Europe,
modern Anti-Semitism and the Struggle against it
31 January Does Britain need Nuclear Energy? the
view of a European Energy Company from
Germany with a strong foothold in Britain
Tiny Little Steps: The Art of Boredom”
An Attempt to Explain Angela Merkel
Crucial differences between
German and English football on
the national and club level
1 February Recent Political Developments in
Germany from the View of DIE LINKE
From doom to boom – to gloom?
What are the future drivers of
Germany’s economic prosperity
Oktoberfest
Committee 2008
Peter Kulka President
Anne-Marie Großmann Secretary
Ricardo Villafuerte Abrego Treasurer
Anna Maierski PR Officer
Diana Köster Cultural Events Officer
Raphael Schöttler Member of the Board
Manuel Geggus IT-Manager
Niklas Räther Member of the Board
Britta Holzberg Member of the Board
Christina Jordan Member of the Board
Gisela Stuart, MP (House of Commons, Labour Party)
Prof Damian Chalmers (Chair, LSE Law Department)
Charlotte Knobloch (President of the Central
Council of Jews in Germany
Dr Jennifer Jackson Preece (Chair, LSE European Institute)
Dr Jürgen Großmann (CEO RWE)
Dr Jon Gibbins (Chair, Mechanical Engineering
Department, Imperial College London)
Dr Hajo Schumacher (Journalist, N24)
Dr Martin Lodge (Chair, LSE Government Department)
Jens Lehmann (FC Arsenal, German National Football Team)
Prof Simon Hix (Chair, LSE Government Department) 1 February
Dr Gregor Gysi (Chair of Die Linke, Left Party)
Dr Waltraud Schelkle (Chair, European Institute, LSE)
Dr Antonella Mei-Pochtler (Senior Partner of
the Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
Dr Rafael Gomez (Chair, LSE Managerial
Economics & Strategy Group)
Martin Kissinger Member of the Board
Florian Walch Member of the Board
Sonja Attalah Member of the Board
Anita Julia Zech Member of the Board
Julius Friedländer Member of the Board
33

34
German Symposium 2009
President’s Memories
“Think globally, act locally”: By the close of the 8th
LSE German Symposium “Global Challenges – German
Perspectives” this dictum had acquired an entirely new
meaning to a tiredly satisfied Committee, still incredulous
at the thrilling intensity of the preceding week.
Rewind to Monday, 5.55 pm. Another five minutes and Gesine
Schwan would end her press conference in the Senior Dining
Room and descend to the front door of the Old Theatre where
I was to introduce her to her chair whom she was expressly
enthused to finally meet. As I was nervously waiting for our
very first guests, mentally rehearsing my inaugural remarks
on “Global Challenges”, my first local challenge, in the shape
of an unknown undergraduate student, violently interrupted
my contemplations: “Are you Diana? Call Conferences and
Events! Immediately!” Having procured both telephone and
number from a courteous LSE Security Guard, I was informed
that our chair had been to the dentist earlier that afternoon.
Unfortunately, the narcotics had left a vicious allergic reaction
which would prevent him from hosting the event. My shock must
have been audible at the other end of the line as Conferences
immediately produced the suffering chair’s mobile number. As
the telephone was again dialling, I began to brainstorm key data
of Prof. Schwan’s CV for an improvised emergency introduction
to her talk, eyes fixed on the clock (6:03 pm). Fortunately, (for
everyone involved) this did not materialize. My genuine despair
met with such selfless compassion, that the allergic chair promptly
arrived at the theatre to give a brilliant (and healthy-looking)
introduction to Prof. Schwan’s reflections on global governance.
Hardened by this unexpected if happy-ending episode, nothing
could upset the Committee’s superb team play. The following
day they managed to check names and bags of 300 guests,
orderly seat and quiet them within ten minutes while I was
passionately fighting both press and construction vehicles
off the parking space in front of Hong Kong Theatre where a
motorcade comprising Minister Dr. Schaueble and delegation
was due to arrive any minute. After his smooth reception, the
committee joined the ardent audience of a lecture in which
Howard Davies’ characteristic witty humour allied with Dr.
Schaueble’s charms to produce an event which convinced us
and the following day’s Financial Times of the Minister of the
Interior’s expertise in Finance – A competence the German
political class has since appeared to also have noted.
In days that followed, Dr. Schaeuble’s perspective on the financial
crisis was complemented by the rather contrasting conceptions of
Prof. Norbert Walter and Frank Bsirske which sparked particularly
heated debate. After Frank Mattern and Berthold Kohler had
offered fascinating insights on the (superb) opportunities
of building a strong low-energy economy and the (gloomy)
future of German newspapers, not even the adverse weather
conditions reigning Berlin which prevented Michael Sommer
and Lothar Bisky from participating could break the spirit of the
Committee. Needless to say we celebrated the conclusion of a
challenging and inspiring German week enthusiastically with
the traditonal (in)famous Oktoberfest which our final guest,
Archbishop Dr Robert Zollitsch, and his delegation professedly
regretted missing – But as this was the Bishop’s first time in
London they had scheduled a city tour early the next morning.
Their tour guide? The German Society Secretary, of course.
Diana Köster

Pictures (from top)
1 Professor Dr Gesine Schwan
3 Dr Wolfgang Schäuble, Bundesminister der
Finanzen and Howard Davies, Director, LSE
35

36
German Symposium 2009
Pictures (from top)
1 Dr Frank Mattern, CEO McKinsey & Co. Deutschland
2 Christian Schmidt, Parliamentary State Secretary
to the Federal Minister of Defence

Agenda 2009
Day Title of Event Speaker
16 February Global Governance Professor Gesine Schwan – SPD Candidate for President of Germany
Professor David Held (Chair, LSE Government Department)
17 February Germany and the International
Financial and Economic Crisis
HE Georg Boomgaarden (German Ambassador
to the Court of St. James’s)
Dr Andrea Mennicken (Chair, LSE Department of Accounting)
German Security Policy – Tour d’Horizon Christian Schmidt (Parliamentary State Secretary
to the Federal Minister of Defence)
Dr Bastian Giegerich (Chair, International
Institute for Strategic Studies)
18 February Perspectives from the German Trade Unions Frank Bsirske (President of ver.di (United Services Union))
Professor Richard Hyman (Chair, LSE Employment
Relations & Organisational Behaviour Group)
Germany and the Financial Crisis.
Lessons to be Learned!
Dr Wolfgang Schäuble - Federal Minister of the Interior
Sir Howard Davies (Chair, Director, LSE)
Building a Low-Energy High-Growth Economy Frank Mattern (CEO McKinsey Germany)
Dr Jörn Rothe (Chair, LSE Managerial Economics and Strategy Group)
19 February Newspapers: Is the End near? Berthold Kohler (Editor Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ))
Mr Charlie Beckett (Chair, Director of POLIS, LSE,
Department of Media and Communication)
20 February The Financial Crisis – Causes,
Consequences, Cures
The Church and its Position in Society.
Commitment in Germany and Europe
Oktoberfest
Committee 2009
Diana Köster President
Manuel Geggus Secretary
Raphael Schöttler Treasurer
Lorenz Caspar-Bours Vice-President
Sebastian Horn PR Officer
Yizhou Ren Cultural Events Officer
Professor Norbert Walter (Chief Economist Deutsche Bank)
Dr Philippe Mueller (Chair, LSE Department of Finance)
Archbishop Dr Robert Zollitsch (Chairman of the German
Episcopal Conference of the Roman Catholic Church)
Dr Patrick Riordan (Chair, SJ, Assistant Director of the Heythrop
Institute for Religion, Ethics and Public Life, Heythrop College)
Marc Fielmann Member of the Board
Farsan Ghassim Member of the Board
Katharina Luz Member of the Board
Niklas Röhling Member of the Board
Ramon Stöckle Member of the Board
Janick Welsch Member of the Board
37

38
German Symposium 2010
President’s Memories
In an attempt to give answers to the title ‘Agenda 2020:
visions for pressing issues’ the LSE German Symposium 2010
was held in the first week of February 2010. Time and again
our annual Symposium brings together leading politicians,
business people and personalities from Germany to discuss
issues relating to German politics, society and economy.
In 2010 our numerous audience was taught a few interesting
surprises. Following a rather questionable remark on climate
change the leader of the Green Party, Claudia Roth, took the
opportunity to crack a joke. She explained that despite her
lack of Oxford education, she was well aware of the difference
between climate and weather. Loud round of applause.
The political panel discussion tried to cover a number of
different topics and it did not fail to provide an excellent
overview of German politics. Not only did the difference
between the various parties become clear, the brief outlook
on the future of the political landscape in Germany made
everyone aware how difficult the current times are.
Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors we were
able to stage the opening event for the first time off the LSE
campus in the Ballroom of the Waldorf Hilton. The venue
proved to be ideal, both in terms of its atmosphere and its
capacity. The opening event with representatives of the five
parties currently in the German government was without
any doubt one of the highlights of the 2010 Symposium.
On Tuesday, Alexander Dibelius from Goldman Sachs explained
to a fully booked lecture theatre that investment bankers do not
work 100 hours a week – much to the surprise of some students
– and Peer Steinbrueck vigorously defended the decision to buy
stolen data of German tax evaders. Steinbruecks’ event was
indeed very well received with around 400 people impressed
with the former minsters’ openness to talk about politically
sensitive subjects. And despite a few minor slips, his English
proved exemplary. During the following dinner he underlined his
positive stance on Europe – not necessarily shared by every Brit.
The perfect balance between politics, business and society
was greatly exemplified by the contribution of August Oetker
and Ulrich Wickert. Oetker in his jovial manner demonstrated
how to survive a day eating only Dr Oetker products, whereas
Wickert shared his thoughts on the responsibility of the media.
As usual our famous Oktoberfest concluded the
Symposium; in 2010 with a much celebrated
sausage grill provided by Herman Ze German.
Once again I’d like to take this opportunity to thank
my committee for its outstanding commitment and
the German Embassy for its cooperation.
To my successor and his future committee I would like to wish
all the very best and further success for the years to come.
Raphael Schöttler

Pictures (from top, L-R)
1 Klaus Ernst, Head of DIE LINKE
2 Opening German Symposium,
Waldorf Hilton
3 Peer Steinbrück, Former
Minister of Finance
4 Dr Peter Diesch, Board Consultants
39

40
German Symposium 2010
Pictures (from top)
1 Dr.h.c. August Oetker, August Oetker KG
2 Audience at Peer Steinbrück’s Speech
3 Peer Steinbrück with German Society Committee

Agenda 2010
Day Title of Event Speaker
1 February Agenda 2020: Visions for pressing issues
(in German with simultaneous translation)
Claudia Roth (Head of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen – Green Party)
Dr h. c. Wolfgang Thierse
(Vice-President of German Parliament – Social Democratic Party)
Klaus Ernst (Deputy Head of DIE LINKE – Socialist Party)
Erwin Huber
(Former member of Bavarian government – Conservative Party)
Dr Jorgo Chatzimarkakis
(Member of European Parliament – Liberal Party)
Moderated by Thomas Walde
(London Correspondent of ZDF – Public Broadcasting)
Professor Dr Kurt Faltlhauser (Former
Bavarian Minister of Finance)
Professor Dr. Dr. Udo di Fabio (Judge at
Federal Constitutional Court)
Dr h. c. August Oetker (Chairman of the advisory
board, Partner, Dr. August Oetker KG)
Dr Alexander Dibelius (Goldman Sachs, Head
of Germany and Eastern Europe)
2 February Grundbeben: Strukturelle Veränderungen
in Deutschland (in German)
Freiheit im Griff von Wirtschaftslogik und
sozialtechnischer Weitsicht (in English)
Solid as a rock? Strategies of a diversified
family business in difficult times
The future of financial markets and the
importance of improved regulations
3 February M&A: A view from inside Dr Peter Diesch (Partner with Board Consultants International)
Challenges in the second decade of the
21st century – A German point of view
Peer Steinbrück (Former German Minister of Finance)
4 February Perspectives on the German
economy after the crisis
Frank Mattern (CEO McKinsey Germany)
5 February The influence and responsibility of the media
German Entrepreneurship Panel:
Ulrich Wickert (Journalist/author and former
anchorman of German Public Broadcasting – ARD)
Entrepreneurship in Germany
vs. the Anglo-Saxon world
Alexander Straub (Straub Ventures)
Why I prefer being the CEO
Felix Haas (amiando)
Factors of success for start-ups
Oktoberfest at LSE
Lukasz Gadowski (Team Europe Ventures)
Committee 2010
Raphael Schöttler President
Marc Fielmann Secretary General
Niklas Röhling Treasurer/Vice President
Yizhou Ren Vice President
Christoph Kreileder Vice President/Marketing and PR
Martin Kissinger Vice President
Anselm Rink Head of IT
Kilian Huber Head of Cultural Events
Max Beyer Member of the Board
Ariane Büscher Member of the Board
Sebastian Ludolph Member of the Board
Hendrik Schlereth Member of the Board
41

42
German Symposium 2011
President’s Memories
Building on over a decade of previous German
Society committees’ hard work, the German
Symposium 2011 has sparked waves far beyond the
LSE campus and set standards for the future.
Finance Niklas Röhling, this year’s Vice-President and Treasurer,
managed – through charm and perseverance – to quadruple
our budget! We are very thankful to Audi, Credit Suisse,
Deutsche Bank, Fielmann, McKinsey and Roland Berger for their
generous support.
The guests Thanks to the endless efforts of this year’s committee,
coordinated and motivated by a seemingly never-sleeping
Secretary General Caspar Gerleve, the German Society could sign
up 25 notable speakers from all spheres of public life in Germany.
The challenge 50 minutes before the scheduled start of our
first discussion, an integration debate with Henryk M Broder, Jan
Fleischhauer, Hellmuth Karasek, Ali Kizilkaya and Thilo Sarrazin, the
LSE barred the event because of security concerns. Those ‘security
concerns’ were a few dozen demonstrators that had cheered at
a speech held by Gaddafi at the LSE just a few months earlier.
Securing free speech So the painstaking committee, the
understanding disputants and the duly patient audience (some
had waited for hours) switched location to the nearby Hilton
Waldorf, starting the discussion with only about an hour delay.
‘Freedom of speech starts with the freedom to doubt – of that
there was enough this evening’, concluded one of the largest
German newspapers. Among all the controversy, one more
thing was for sure: the protesting minority (less than 2 per
cent of LSE students) was unsuccessful in barring free speech
at a university that has always thrived upon it. This view was
shared by the international media that positively reported on the
discussion. More than 100 newspapers from Austria, Britain, Israel,
Germany and Switzerland wrote about this year’s symposium.
Yet the protesters were successful in constraining someone
else’s freedom of speech! Because of the protests, the
subsequent discussion between Heinz Otto Dürr and Dirk
Notheis, for which more than 300 students had signed up,
had to be cancelled. Since this meant that our guests had
both travelled from Germany for nothing, this was a very sad
and embarrassing moment. In the following however the
symposium successfully continued without further disruptions.
In total, 2,000 guests enjoyed eleven lectures, disputes and
discussions. Wolfgang Franz brought German academic wisdom
across the channel. Bernhard Bueb held an inspiring talk on ethics,
leadership and education. Eckhard Cordes (METRO), Axel Strotbek
(Audi), Christian Veith (BCG) and others illustrated the diverse
facets of German business success. Mercedes Bunz, Harald Ehren
(fischerAppelt) and Christoph Keese (WELT) shed a light on the
future of the media landscape beyond German borders and Hans
Eichel (SPD), Peter Ramsauer (CSU) and Ole von Beust (CDU)
discussed Germany’s political future within the European Union.
Personally I am grateful to Niklas, Caspar, this year’s
wonderful committee, to our numerous supporters and
to all our guests for a week that taught me a lot about
the United Kingdom, about Germany and people from all
spheres of life. May all future symposia be as enticing and
informative as this one has been to me. In that sense I wish
the coming committees all the best for the future!
Marc Fielmann

Pictures (from top)
1 Audience at the Integration Debate
2 Dr Eckhard Cordes
3 Henryk M. Broder
43

44
German Symposium 2011
Pictures (from top, L-R)
1 Media Panel
2 Oktoberfest
3 Oktoberfest
4 Professor Dr Dr h. c. mult. Wolfgang Franz
and Axel Strotbek

Agenda 2011
Day Title of Event Speaker
14 February Integration Debate: ‘Europe’s
Future – “Decline of the West”?’
15 February The Car Industry in
Upheaval – How Audi is
Rising to the Challenges
The German Economy:
Perspectives and Challenges
Elite Education – an Anglosaxon-
German Comparison
Henryk M Broder (Journalist & Author)
Professor Dr Hellmuth Karasek (Journalist & Literary Critic)
Ali Kizilkaya (Chairman German Islamic Council)
Dr Thilo Sarrazin (Author & former Executive of the German Central Bank)
Moderated by Jan Fleischhauer (Journalist & Author DER SPIEGEL)
Axel Strotbek (CFO Audi)
Professor Dr Dr h. c. mult. Wolfgang Franz (Chairman German Council of Economic Experts)
Dr Bernhard Bueb (Pedagogue & Author)
Growth Dr Christian Veith (Chairman Boston Consulting Group GER)
16 February Real Estate Panel: ‘The Future
of the German Real Estate
Market in a European Context’
17 February Media Panel: ‘Media and
Business: The Next Generation
of Media Financing Models’
18 February The New METRO Group – Business
Strategies to Move Mountains
Keynote Speech: ‘Traffic and
Society: How Can Our Traffic
Systems Be Improved?’
Committee 2011
Jim Garman (Head of Real Estate Principle Investment Area Goldman Sachs)
Christian Ulbrich (CEO Jones Lang LaSalle Europe, Middle East, Asia)
Dr Christian Schlüter (Head of Investment Banking & Real Estate Credit Suisse GER, AU, CH)
Moderated by Stephen Lee (President, European Real Estate Society & Senior
Lecturer in Real Estate Finance at the Cass Business School, City University)
Dr Mercedes Bunz (Digital Thinker & Journalist, former technology reporter for The Guardian)
Harald Ehren (Editor-in-Chief fischerAppelt, relations)
Christoph Keese (President, Public Affairs, Axel Springer AG)
Moderated by Charlie Beckett (Director POLIS, LSE)
Dr Eckhard Cordes (CEO METRO Group)
Dr Peter Ramsauer (Federal Minister of Transport, Building and
Urban Development Christian Social Union (CSU))
Political Panel Discussion Hans Eichel (former Minister of Finance – Social Democratic Party)
Dr Henning Meyer (LSE Global Governance)
Ole von Beust (former Minister President – Christian Democratic Union)
Moderated by Frank Jahn (London Correspondent ARD)
Carnival meets Oktoberfest at LSE
Marc Fielmann President
Niklas Röhling Treasurer and VP
Caspar Gerleve Secretary General
Eva Gorenflo Head of Press Relations
Svenja Ziegert Head of Press Relations
Kilian Huber Head of IT
Maximilian Heberger Head of Events
Berni Schulz Head of Events
Erika Arnold Executive Member of the Board
Franziska Holler Executive Member of the Board
Marie Ladwig Executive Member of the Board
Christian Meyer Executive Member of the Board
Raphael Schöttler Honorary Chairperson
45

46
List of speakers
Speaker Title* Year
Konrad Adenauer Grandson of the First Chancellor 2002
Charlie Beckett Director, POLIS at LSE 2011
Lothar Bisky Leader, Linkspartei.PDS 2006
Petra Bläss Vice-Parliamentary Leader of the PDS 2002
Willy Bogner CEO, Bogner; Olympic Skier; Film Producer 2002
HE Georg Boomgaarden German Ambassador to the UK 2009
Rolf E Breuer President of the Associations of German Banks 2005
Henryk M. Broder Author, Journalist 2011
Frank Bsirske President of Ver.di (United Services Union) 2009
Bernhard Bueb Pedagogue, Author 2011
Edelgard Bulmahn Former Minister for Education and Research 2006
Mercedes Bunz Digital Thinker, Journalist and Author 2011
Eckhard Cordes CEO, METRO AG 2011
Jorgo Chatzimarkakis Member of the European Parliament 2010
Thomas de Maizière Chief of Staff and Head of the German Federal Chancellery 2006
Alexander Dibelius Head of Germany and Eastern Europe, Goldman Sachs 2004, 2010, 2011
Peter Diesch Partner, Board Consultants International 2010
Heinz Otto Dürr Chairman, Dürr AG, former CEO of Deutsche Bahn AG and AEG AG 2011
Harald Ehren Editor-in-chief, fischerAppelt AG 2011
Hans Eichel Former German Minister of Finance 2011
Olav Ermgassen CEO, Ermgassen & Co 2002, 2003, 2004
Klaus Ernst Head of DIE LINKE (Socialist Party) 2010
Reinhard Erös Head of German Aid for Afghan Children 2005
Kurt Faltlhauser Former Bavarian Minister of Finance 2010
Joschka Fischer** German Foreign Minister 2004
Jan Fleischhauer SPIEGEL-Journalist, Deputy Director of Berlin Office 2011
Wolfgang Franz Chairman German Council of Economic Experts 2011
Michel Friedman TV Host; Former Deputy Chairman of the Central Council of Jews in Germany 2003, 2006
Lukas Gadowski Team Europe Ventures 2010
Jim Garman Head of European Real Estate (Merchant Banking), Goldman Sachs 2011
Joachim Gauck Former Head of the Stasi Files Releasing Agency 2004
Florian Gerster CEO, Federal German Employment Agency 2004
Thomas Gottschalk TV Host 2002
Andrew Gowers Chief Editor, Financial Times 2005
Wolfgang Grewe Chairman and Managing Partner EMEA, Deloitte 2005
Jürgen Großmann CEO RWE 2008
Peter Gruss President, Max-Planck Society 2006
Gregor Gysi Chair of Die Linke, Left Party 2008
* At time of most recent attendance ** Speakers during the academic year

Speaker Title* Year
Felix Haas CEO, amiando 2010
Jens Hofman Managing Director Finance Group, Goldman Sachs 2007
Erwin Huber Former Head of CSU (Christian-Socialist Party) 2010
HE Wolfgang Ischinger German Ambassador to the UK 2007, 2008
Frank Jahn Correspondent in London of ARD (public broadcasting) 2011
Peter Jungen Entrepreneur; President, European Business Angels Network 2003
Hellmuth Karasek Author, Journalist, Literary critic 2011
Christoph Keese President of Public Affairs, Axel Springer AG 2011
Carsten Kengeter Partner and Co-Head of FICC Distribution Europe, Goldman Sachs 2005
Ali Kizilkaya Chairman of the German Islamic Council 2011
Jürgen Kluge Head, McKinsey Germany 2004
Charlotte Knobloch President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany 2008
Annette Koehler Leipzig Graduate School of Management 2005
Berthold Kohler Editor Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) 2009
Martin Korbmacher Head of Global Equity, Dresdner Bank AG 2002
Otto Graf Lambsdorff Former Minister of Economics 2007
Jens Lehmann FC Arsenal, German National Football Team 2008
Ursula von der Leyen** Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth 2007
Max Maldacker First Counsellor for Political Affairs, German Embassy, London 2004
Antonella Mei-Pochtler Senior Partner of the Boston Consulting Group 2008
Frank Mattern Head, McKinsey Germany 2007, 2009, 2010
Thomas Matussek** German Ambassador to the UK 2003
Wolfgang Mayrhuber Chairman and CEO, Lufthansa AG 2007
Angela Merkel** Chairwoman of the CDU 2003
Friedrich Merz German MP, Dept. leader of CDU/CSU faction in the German Bundestag 2003
Henning Meyer Senior Visiting Fellow at LSE Global Governance Department 2011
Hans Mommsen European Historian 2003
Claus Mueller Political Department, German Embassy to the UK 2002
Dirk Notheis CEO Morgan Stanley Germany and Austria 2011
August Oetker Chairman, Dr. August Oetker KG 2010
Ferdinand Oetker Member of the Oetker Family 2002
Sir Geoffrey Owen Former Chief Editor, Financial Times; LSE Managerial Economics and Strategy Group 2003, 2007
Cem Özdemir Bündnis 90/ Die Grünen (Green Party) 2004, 2006
Hans Peter Peters CEO, Peters Associates 2005
Peter Ramsauer Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Development 2011
Marcel Reichart Managing Director, Hubert Burda Media 2006
Andreas Ritter Board of Directors, Allianz Venture Partners GmbH 2002
Claudia Roth Head of Bündnis 90/ Die Grünen (Green Party) 2010
Colin T Roy Head, Greenhill Germany 2005, 2007, 2008
Thilo Sarrazin Author, Former Central Banker, Former Finance Senator in Berlin 2011
Max Scheder-Bieschin Managing Director, Corporate Advisory Group, Deutsche Bank AG 2003
* At time of most recent attendance ** Speakers during the academic year
47

48
List of speakers
Speaker Title* Year
Otto Schily Former Minister of the Interior 2007
Wolfgang Schäuble Federal Minister of the Interior 2003, 2009
Rezzo Schlauch Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour 2004
Christian Schlüter Director, Real Estate Invement Banking, Credit Suisse Germany, Austria and Switzerland 2011
Nikolaus Schmeja Colonel, retired 2005
Christian Schmidt Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Defence 2009
Harald Schmidt Late Night Talk Host 2003
Ulla Schmidt German Federal Minister of Health 2005
Felix Schönauer London Correspondent, Handelsblatt 2004
Gerhard Schröder Former Chancellor of Germany 2007
Fedor Schulten Swiss Advisory Group, Goldman Sachs 2006
Hajo Schumacher Journalist, n24 2008
Gesine Schwan SPD Candidate for President of Germany 2009
Wilhelm Simson CEO, E.ON 2002
Joachim Spill Co-Head, Transaction Services, Ernst & Young Europe 2006
Robin Stalker** CFO Adidas Group 2008
Christoph Stanger Managing Director, Goldman Sachs 2003, 2004
Bernd Stecher Chief Economist, Siemens AG 2003
Peer Steinbrück Former German Minister of Finance 2010
Barry Stickings Chairman BASF plc 2002, 2003
Alexander Straub CEO, Straub Ventures 2010
Axel Strotbek CFO, Audi (Volkswagen Group) 2011
Gisela Stuart, MP Labour MP 2008
Wolfgang Thierse Vice-President of German Parliament 2010
Michael Träm CEO, A.T. Kearney Central Europe 2005
Christian Ulbrich CEO, Jones Lang LaSalle Europe, Middle East and Asia 2011
David Vande Linde Vice-Chancellor, University of Warwick 2006
Christian Veith Head of BCG Germany 2011
Günter Verheugen EU-Commissioner for Enlargement 2003
Ole von Beust Former First Mayor of Hamburg 2011
Thomas Walde ZDF-Correspondent in London (Public Broadcasting) 2010
Norbert Walter Chief Economist, Deutsche Bank AG 2003,2005,2006, 2009
Guido Westerwelle Chairman, FDP/Die Liberalen 2007
Ulrich Wickert Author, Journalist 2010
Hans-Heinrich Wrede Ambassador of Germany to the UNESCO in Paris 2006
Klaus F. Zimmermann President German Institute for Economic Research, Berlin, Director IZA, Bonn
(Institute for the Study of Labor), Professor of Economics at the University of
Bonn, Honorary Professor of Economics at the Free University of Berlin
2008
Archbishop Robert Zollitsch Chairman of the German Episcopal Conference of the Roman Catholic Church 2009
* At time of most recent attendance ** Speakers during the academic year

The Society welcomes any LSE student or staff as a member while everyone else
is welcome to become a friend of the German Society. The Society treats both
affiliations equally with respect to the regulations of the LSE Students’ Union.
Design: LSE Design Unit (www.lse.ac.uk/designunit)
The German Society is a Society of the London School of
Economics and Political Science Students’ Union.
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a School of the
University of London. It is a charity and is incorporated in England as a
company limited by guarantee under the Companies Act (Reg. No. 70527).
For more information and an online version of this
brochure visit us on www.german-society.co.uk
German Society
Students’ Union Reception
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The LSE German Symposium 2011 was proudly sponsored by:
Annual
Fund