Dr. Bertram Stausberg Is the New President of the Federal Association of Printing and Media

In his inaugural address in Berlin, Stausberg emphasized the importance of effective association work and close cooperation between the national association and the state associations: “Jointly defining priorities and a clearly coordinated division of responsibilities provide exactly the support that companies in our industry need in a challenging market environment. In addition to the regional associations’ guidance and support for companies in their respective regions, the BVDM strengthens the regional associations and their members through robust advocacy at the national and European levels, ensuring that the concerns of the printing and media industry are heard by policymakers and government officials.”

In addition to the president, Vice President Sönke Boyens also stepped down from his position ahead of schedule. Boyens had been a member of the Executive Board since 2003 and served as vice president of the BVDM for twelve years. Stefan Mail, managing director of Mail Druck + Medien, was elected as his successor.

The new BVDM Executive Board is composed as follows:

President
Dr. Bertram Stausberg, Axel Springer Print Management GmbH

Vice President and Treasurer
Stefan Mail, Mail Druck + Medien

Vice President
Dipl.-Ing. Steffen Leistner, Druckerei Zschiesche GmbH

Members
Kirsten Hommelhoff, Federal Association of Printing and Media e. V.
Holger Busch, Bavarian Printing and Media Association (Verband Druck und Medien Bayern e. V.)
Oliver Curdt, Northwest Printing and Media Association (Verband Druck und Medien Nord-West e. V.)
Philipp von Trotha, Northeast Printing and Media Association (Verband Druck und Medien NordOst e. V.)

“This election has brought together an experienced and dedicated board that will actively support and shape the interests of the printing industry. Especially in times of profound economic and political change, a professionally sound, entrepreneurially minded, and politically competent advocacy group is of particular importance,” says Kirsten Hommelhoff, CEO of the BVDM, regarding the collaboration with the new executive board.

In addition to the new elections to the Executive Board, the delegates at the Annual General Meeting engaged in an in-depth discussion of the current economic and industrial policy landscape. In doing so, they identified key areas of focus for the coming year: reducing bureaucratic burdens, ensuring competitive energy prices, securing a skilled workforce, promoting innovation, increasing flexibility in the labor market, and establishing reliable and investment-friendly conditions. The goal is to sustainably strengthen the competitiveness and long-term viability of the printing and media industry in Germany.

“We do not intend to rest on our past successes regarding issues such as EUDR, EmpCo, or sustainability. Rather, we will advocate even more strongly for our industry’s interests in political decision-making processes and further intensify our dialogue with decision-makers,” says Kirsten Hommelhoff, summarizing the BVDM’s political work.