Theo Waigel Keynote Speaker

  • German politician of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria
  • German Federal Minister of Finance (1989-98)
  • Known as one of the ‘fathers of the Euro’

Theo Waigel's Biography

Theo Waigel is a German politician of the Christian Social Union (CSU) in Bavaria.

He served as Minister of Finance in the Cabinet of Helmut Kohl from 1989 to 1998. His time in office was marked by the peaceful revolution in East Germany, the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the ‘coalescence’ of Europe. Both as the CSU party leader and as a Minister, he was instrumental in bringing about re-unification and in securing Gorbachev’s agreement to a united Germany being part of NATO.

During the same period, Waigel played a pivotal role in the introduction of the Euro. Had it not been for him, the Stability Pact underpinning the single European currency might never have become reality. He also oversaw the economic and monetary aspects of German reunification, including the privatisation of several Eastern German state companies.

Waigel was a member for Bavaria in the Bundestag from 1972 to 2002. A member of CSU since 1960, he became its Chairman from 1988 to 1999 and was appointed Honorary Chairman in 2009. From 1982 to 1989 he was head of the CSU parliamentary group at the Bundestag and First Deputy Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group.

Since his retirement, he has been active in the private sector, serving as a member of the advisory board at Deutsche Vermögensberatung AG and EnBW. He is also a consultant for Texas Pacific Group, a venture capital firm, and the Brunswick Group.

Book Theo Waigel as keynote speaker at your next event or conference.

Read More

Videos of Theo Waigel

Integrity as a challenge for top management and for regulators (2013)
On the Euro and a united Europe (2014; in German)

Check Theo Waigel's speaking fees and availability

    Sending your message…

    Please wait, this can take a moment

    Message sent…

    Close

    Please provide your details and we’ll get in touch as soon as possible.

    We can only respond to requests for professional speaking engagements. We are unable to respond to requests for autographs, shoutouts and personalized messages.

    Discover other speakers

    tariq fancy
    Tariq Fancy Speaker
    Exclusive
    Tariq Fancy
    Former Global CIO for Sustainable Investing at BlackRock
    Adrian Wooldridge Speaker
    Exclusive
    Adrian Wooldridge
    Global Business Columnist - Bloomberg
    Dominique Mielle Speaker
    Exclusive
    Dominique Mielle
    Author of "Damsel in Distressed" - listed as one of the "50 Leading Women in Hedge Funds"
    Felix Martin Speaker
    Exclusive
    Felix Martin
    Economist, fund manager and acclaimed author.
    julian king
    Julian King Speaker
    Exclusive
    Julian King
    EU Commissioner for the Security Union (2016-2019)
    David Lough Speaker
    Exclusive
    David Lough
    Historian, Author and Broadcaster
    Alessandro Hatami Speaker
    Exclusive
    Alessandro Hatami
    Co-founder of Pacemakers.io and fintech expert
    Jeffrey Saviano Speaker
    Exclusive
    Jeffrey Saviano
    Transformative disruptive technology leader and artificial intelligence strategist / ethicist
    robin niblett
    Robin Niblett Speaker
    Exclusive
    Robin Niblett
    Expert Geopolitical Analysis - Director and Chief Executive, Chatham House (2007-2022)
    Martin Wolf Speaker
    Exclusive
    Martin Wolf
    Associate Editor and Chief Economics commentator, Financial Times