News | Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung (en) Heinz Bierbaum Is Our New Chair

The General Assembly of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation elected a new Executive Board last weekend

Dagmar Enkelmann hands over the chair of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation to her successor, Heinz Bierbaum. Photo: RLS

Heinz Bierbaum was elected as the new chair of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation’s Executive Board at a meeting of its General Assembly on Saturday, 26 November. The current President of the European Left thus succeeds Dagmar Enkelmann, who did not stand for re-election after ten years at the head of the Foundation.

“The chair of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation is a particularly appealing task for me, as it combines both political as well as intellectual commitment. Especially in an era of profound social upheaval, this is an immense challenge that I would like to take on”, Bierbaum said after the vote. “There is a need for an intensified debate on political alternatives seeking to build a democratic, socially just, and peaceful society. The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation represents an important platform for social dialogue. It must be strengthened.” Heinz Bierbaum has been a member of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation’s Executive Board since 2020 and brings with him many years of political, academic, and international experience.

There was also a change in the deputy chairs. Lena Saniye Güngör, Member of the Thuringian State Parliament and Chair of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation in Thuringia, and Jan Korte, Member of the Bundestag and previously a member of the Executive Board, will take over these functions. Executive Director Daniela Trochowski was confirmed in her office.

The other members of the newly elected board are: Alex Demirović, Richard Detje, Ulrike Detjen, Sophie Dieckmann, Barbara Höll, Victor Perli, Bernd Riexinger, Sonja Staack, and Gabriele Zimmer.

The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation’s Executive Board is elected by the General Assembly for a period of three years and consists of the Chair, the two Deputy Chairs, the Executive Director, and a further minimum of eight and a maximum of ten members. Currently, the Executive Board has 13 members, including seven women. With the exception of the Executive Director, the board works on a voluntary basis.

The newly elected Executive Board of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (l-to-r): Barbara Höll, Jan Korte, Sonja Staack, Bernd Riexinger, Heinz Bierbaum, Lena Saniye Güngör, Alex Demirović, Daniela Trochowski, Ulrike Detjen, Sophie Dieckmann, Richard Detje, Victor Perli, Gabriele Zimmer (not pictured).