Bodo Hombach

Bodo Hombach (born 19 August 1952), German politician, Member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and now Publishing House Director, was also Head of the Federal Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Tasks in Schröder's first Cabinet from 1998 to 1999. Hombach then changed jobs and became EU Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South-East Europe in Brussels. In 2002, Bodo Hombach joined the Management Board of the WAZ Media Group, an internationally active German publishing company.

Bodo Hombach was born in Mülheim on the Ruhr, North Rhine-Westphalia. After training to become a telecommunications craftsman (apprenticeship from 1967 to 1970 with the Telephone Exchange in Duisburg), Bodo Hombach studied Social Work at the Düsseldorf Polytechnic from 1973 to 1978. He worked as State Secretary of the Trade Union for Education and Science before he became a member of the State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia for the Social Democratic Party (SPD) from 1990 to 1998. He was its State Party Chairman from 1979 to 1991 and Economic Spokesman of the SPD State Parliamentary Group and Chairman of the Enquiry Board from 1990 to 1998.

Apart from his political activity, Hombach was Managing Director of the private limited companies, Preussag Handel GmbH (Salzgitter) and Preussag (Salzgitter) International GmbH in Düsseldorf from 1991 to 1998.

In 1998, he joined Clement's Cabinet as State Minister for Economy and SME, Technology and Transport in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Hombach co-ordinated several election campaigns of the Social Democratic Party and the Federal Social Democratic Party of North Rhine-Westphalia. He was regarded as a brilliant election campaign strategist and creator of the slogan 'We in North Rhine-Westphalia'. Nelson Mandela chose him to be his personal adviser for his first election campaign.

In October 1998, Gerhard Schröder appointed him to his Cabinet as Federal Minister for Special Tasks and Head of the Federal Chancellery. Hombach ranked among the most powerful and influential politicians not just because of his charisma and high profile, and he was a firm opponent of Oskar Lafontaine's policy.

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