Gerhard Wiesheu
Gerhard Wiesheu | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 12, 1962 Moosburg an der Isar, Germany |
| Occupation | Banking executive |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Known for | CEO of Metzler Bank, Chairman of the German-Japanese Business Association |
Gerhard Wiesheu (born on February 12, 1962) is a prominent German banking executive who currently holds the position of CEO at Metzler Bank. He also participates on supervisory boards across multiple financial institutions and chairs the German-Japanese Business Association.[1]
Early life and education
Originating from Moosburg an der Isar, Wiesheu completed his business administration degree at the University of Applied Sciences Landshut in 1987. Subsequently, he pursued postgraduate studies specializing in East Asian economics at the University of Duisburg-Essen, finishing in 1989.[2]
He is married to Yumiko Wiesheu, and together they have two children.[3][4]
Career
Wiesheu launched his professional journey in 1987 through an investment banking trainee program and subsequently undertook various roles within Commerzbank.[1]
In 1991, he became part of Commerzbank's subsidiary, Commerz International Capital Management GmbH (CICM), based in Frankfurt.[3][4] Between 1994 and 1999, he served as managing director of CICM’s Japanese branch located in Tokyo and was a board member of the Japanese Asset Management Association.[1][5]
Wiesheu joined Metzler Bank in 2001 and ascended to the role of CEO at B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG in 2023.[5] Prior to Metzler’s transformation into a stock corporation in 2021, he was part of its partners’ committee and acted as one of its personally liable partners from 2015 through 2021.[2][4]
From 2020 until 2024, he led Frankfurt Main Finance, an influential platform dedicated to advancing Frankfurt’s status as a financial center within the eurozone.[6][5]
Wiesheu also holds supervisory board roles at Nomura Asset Management Europe and DWS Investment GmbH. His involvement extends to the German Association for Financial Analysis and Asset Management as well as the exchange councils affiliated with the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.[5][6][7] Since July 2023, he has been a member of both the executive board and assembly of delegates at the Association of German Banks.[8][9]
Honorary positions
Gerhard Wiesheu has played significant leadership roles within organizations dedicated to fostering German-Japanese business and cultural relations. He has been the chairman of the board for the German-Japanese Business Association (DJW) in Düsseldorf since 2011 and has led the board of trustees for the Japanese-German Center Berlin (JDZB) starting in 2014. Furthermore, since 2012, he has contributed as a member of the advisory board for the German-Japanese Society Frankfurt (DJG).
Beyond these roles, Wiesheu serves on the board of trustees at the Interdisciplinary Center for East Asian Studies at Goethe University Frankfurt. He is also an honorary trustee member of the Society of Friends of Bayreuth. Additionally, he holds the position of chairman of the board of trustees for the Georg Speyer Haus and participates on the board of trustees for the Paul Ehrlich Foundation.
Delegation missions
Wiesheu has joined German chancellors and government officials on several economic delegation visits to Japan. His involvement includes accompanying former Chancellor Angela Merkel during trips in 2015 and 2019. In 2022, he served as spokesperson for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s inaugural economic delegation to Japan and reprised this role in 2023 during the first German-Japanese governmental consultations.
Honors
For his efforts in strengthening German-Japanese ties, Wiesheu was awarded the Special Award of the Foreign Minister of Japan in 2015. Later, in May 2022, he received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (First Class), a distinction bestowed by Hesse’s former prime minister Volker Bouffier.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lückemeier, Peter (28 June 2014). "Gerhard Wiesheu". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Mister Finanzplatz feiert heute 60. Geburtstag" (12 February 2022). Frankfurter Neue Presse (in German).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid
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<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:1 - ↑ Fechtner, Detlef (11 February 2022). "Gerhard Wiesheu 60". Börsen-Zeitung (in Deutsch). Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ↑ Fischer, Tobias (17 May 2023). "Wiesheu rückt an Metzler-Spitze". Börsen-Zeitung (in German).
- ↑ Mußler, Hanno (10 October 2022). "Bankhaus Metzler verjüngt Vorstand". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in Deutsch). ISSN 0174-4909. Retrieved 27 August 2023.