Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees decides on all fundamental questions that are part of the remit of the EVZ Foundation.
It determines the focuses of the Foundation’s funding and activities, and establishes guidelines for the use of the resources. The Board of Trustees is international, and its current 25 members are delegated for four-year terms, for example, by the German Bundestag and Bundesrat, German economic players, and the states and organizations involved in the international negotiations that led to EVZ’s establishment. The Board of Directors is responsible for current business activities of the EVZ Foundation and implements the resolutions of the Board of Trustees.

CV Annette Schavan

CV Werner Gatzer

Members of the Board of Trustees

OrganizationMember of the Board of TrusteesDeputy
ChairAnnette Schavan, Bundesministerin a.D.Werner Gatzer
Foundation initiativeDr. Jörg Freiherr Frank von FürstenwerthDr. Dirk Förterer
Foundation initiativeChristoph KübelDr. Helen Müller
Foundation initiativeThomas WesselAndreas Klugescheid
Foundation initiativeProf. Dr. Susanne Sophia Spiliotis 
Bundestag (CDU/CSU)MdB Michael BreilmannMdB Stephan Mayer
Bundestag (SPD)MdB Dietmar NietanMdB Marianne Schieder
Bundestag (BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN)MdB Ulle SchauwsMdB Marlene Schönberger
Bundestag (FDP)MdB Renata AltUlla Ihnen
BundesratStS Karin MüllerStS Gonca Türkeli-Dehnert
BundesratStS Thorsten Bischoff StS Jutta Bieringer
Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF)MDgin Petra von WickMR Dr. Sven Asmussen
Federal Foreign OfficeRalf BesteAmbassador Christian Heldt
Jewish Claims ConferenceGreg SchneiderRüdiger Mahlo
Sinti and Roma *Nordmunds RudevicsTobias Neuburger
IsraelArie ZuckermanDr. LL.M. Avraham Weber
USAEllen J. GermainMarina Ritsema
PolandPhD Jerzy KranzJakub Deka
Russian Federation**  
UkraineDr. Anton DrobovychAmbassador Oleksii Makeiev
Belarus**  
Czech RepublicBotschafter Dr. Jiři ŠitlerDr. Tomáš Jelínek
Plaintiff's Attorney USAMonica DugotChristiane Reeh
UNHCR Dr. Roland Bank
International Organization for MigrationJean-Philippe ChauzySarah Tietze
Bundesverband für NS-Verfolgte (Federal Association of NS Persecutees)Volker Kirchesch 

updated April 24, 2025

* These staff functions will be carried out in rotation as of May 19 until November 19.

** The Board of Trustees of the EVZ Foundation resolved to temporarily suspend the nominating rights and membership of the Board of Trustees members from the Republic of Belarus and the nominating rights of the Russian Federation, effective March 21, 2025. More information.

Annette Schavan

The EVZ’s founding history challenges us to raise awareness of the responsibility we have where reservations lead to denial, marginalization, and violence. It challenges us to work for a new phase of remembrance culture: First, it should do justice to the victims of the Shoah – we want to be there for them, take care of them, and keep their memory alive. Second, we want to enhance the impact of historical education and help a young generation assume an active role in shaping remembrance culture themselves.
Annette Schavan
Chairperson of the Board of Trustees

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is responsible for current business activities of the EVZ Foundation and implements the resolutions of the Board of Trustees. Chief Executive Officer Dr. Andrea Despot is responsible for designing the Foundation’s strategy, developing the organization, and ensuring its resources are used for the designated economic purpose. The Board of Directors represents the Foundation in and out of court and was appointed on March 4, 2020, at an extraordinary meeting of the international Board of Trustees. The Director took office in June 2020.

The international Board of Trustees of the Foundation EVZ elected historian and science manager Jakob Meyer as a member of the Board at its meeting on May 16, 2022. He took office on July 1, 2022.

CV Dr. Andrea Despot

CV Jakob Meyer

Financial committees

The EVZ Foundation has two financial committees: The asset advisory committee generally meets once a year and provides the Board of Directors of the Foundation with advice regarding strategic matters and topics. Operational decisions relating to the management of the EVZ Foundation’s assets are made by the investment commission. The Directors bear full responsibility for the decisions made by the body.

Asset Management Advisory Committee

The asset advisory committee generally meets once a year and provides the Board of Directors of the Foundation with advice regarding strategic matters and topics. Operational decisions relating to the management of the EVZ Foundation’s assets are taken by the investment commission. The Directors bear full responsibility for the decisions.

The current members of the committee are:

  • Jörg Eickhoff, Head of Department for Investment Strategy Implementation/AI, Federal and State Government Employees Retirement Fund (VBL)
  • Harald Epple, Chief Financial Officer, Gothaer Finanzholding AG
  • Dieter Lehmann, member of the management board and head of asset management at the Volkswagen Foundation
  • Wiebke Merbeth, Head of Public Affairs & Sustainability, BayernInvest Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH
  • Rupert Schaefer, Chief Executive Director Strategy, Policy and Control, Federal Financial Supervisory Authority BaFin
  • Martin Wieland, Permanent Deputy of Head of Directorate General Markets, Bundesbank

Investment Commission

The Investment Commission is responsible for tactical investment decisions.

Members, Investment Commission:

  • Dr. Andrea Despot, Chair of the Board of Directors, EVZ Foundation
  • Jakob Meyer, Director, EVZ Foundation,
  • Dieter Lehmann, co-managing Director and Head of the Assets Department, Volkswagen Stiftung


Information about investment strategies as well as facts and figures under Finances and Transparency.

Contact people

Monika Bertele

Executive Assistant to the CEO

Tel.: +49 (0)30 25 92 97-80
E-Mail: bertele@stiftung-evz.de

Martin Bock

Consultant to the Board of Directors

Tel.: +49 (0)30 25 92 97-48
E-Mail: bock@stiftung-evz.de

Portaitfoto von Dr. Andrea Despot

Dr. Andrea Despot

Chief Executive Officer

Tel.: +49 (0)30 25 92 97-80
E-Mail: despot@stiftung-evz.de

Portrait-Foto von Jakob Meyer.

Jakob Meyer

Member of the Board

Tel.: +49 (0)30 25 92 97-89
E-Mail: meyer@stiftung-evz.de

Corinna Raß

Deputy Executive Assistant to the CEO

Tel.: +49 (0)30 25 92 97-98
E-Mail: rass@stiftung-evz.de

Maria Wilke

Lead EVZ Academy

Tel.: +49 (0)30 25 92 97-92
E-Mail: wilke@stiftung-evz.de