Hertha BSC’s new presidential board

The board of the capital city club has a few new faces, while the leadership remains unchanged. 

Berlin – On Sunday (25/10/20), the Hertha BSC e.V. hosted its general assembly in the Ostkurve at the Olympiastadion for the first time. Members were able to vote for a president, vice-president and individual board members. The presidential board is made up of nine members (with a minimum of seven required), who are elected by the general assembly, including the president and his deputy. The term of office for the elected members is generally four years.

In addition to previous members Werner Gegenbauer, Thorsten Manske, Fabian Drescher, Ingmar Pering, Michael Ottow, Norbert Sauer, Christian Wolter and Marco Wurzbacher, there were five others up for nomination in Peer Mock-Stümer, Klaus Teichert, Detlef Dames, Nils Korte and Anne Jüngermann. Long-time board member Renate Döhmer did not stand for re-election this year. The vote took place after all the candidates introduced themselves with a three-minute speech and taken part in a question and answer round.

Following the vote, president Gegenbauer (542 votes) and vice-president Thorsten Manske (566 votes) were confirmed to their positions. The Hertha members also elected the following after one round of voting:

• • Fabian Drescher (797)
• • Peer Mock-Stümer (788)
• • Anne Jüngermann (781)
• • Ingmar Pering (497)
• • Norbert Sauer (479)

All the above-mentioned candidates accepted the results of the vote. The results for the other candidates were as follows: Detlef Dahmes (329 votes), Nils Korte (180), Michael Ottow (468), Klaus Teichert (421), Christian Wolter (360) and Marco Wurzbacher (469). These six candidates took part in a run-off election, during which only Michael Ottow (411) received the required number of votes.

Detlef Dahmes (185), Nils Korte (47), Klaus Teichert (275), Christian Wolter (154) and Marco Wurzbacher (317) did not receive the required number of votes. As the minimum number of seven board members had been met with the election of six members, in addition to president Werner Gegenbauer and vice-president Thorsten Manske, no further ballot was held.

These are the new members of the presidential board:

President: Werner Gegenbauer (70 years old, married, three children)

The Berlin native has been a Hertha BSC member since 1998 and took up the post of president in 2008. Hertha BSC are “a mirror image of the city,” which – much like the club – has had its share of tough times. The businessman would like to continue to “help shape” the future of Hertha BSC and “continue to successfully achieve a close alliance between the players, fans, committees and investors.” He was nominated by Thorsten Manske and Bernd Schiphorst.

Vice-president: Thorsten Manske (56 years old, married, three children)

As a life-long Hertha supporter, Thorsten Manske knows that “Hertha make you tougher – fair-weather fans have no place here.” He became a member in 1996 and took up a role as vice-president in 2012. In addition to sport, the tax law solicitor is connected to Hertha through the “enriching encounters with a diverse array of people, who are all connected by our community.” In the future, he would like to continue to contribute his professional experience with a focus on helping to develop the academy. He was nominated by Werner Gegenbauer.

Presidential Board members:

Norbert Sauer (70 years old, married)

Norbert Sauer has been a passionate supporter of Hertha for over 50 years, which includes 25 years as a member and 12 years of being on the presidential board. In the future, he would like to help the club be even more successful and “permanently establish Hertha amongst the top clubs in Germany and in Europe.” He advocates for sustainable reinvestment, further pursuing the development of young talent, continuing the dialogue with the fans and the construction of a new stadium. The TV and film producer was nominated by Werner Gegenbauer.

Michael Ottow (57 years old, married)

Growing up in the Wedding district of Berlin, Michael Ottow’s father introduced him to the club nearly 50 years ago. Since then, he has experienced plenty of highs and lows with the club, and gotten involved both as a member and as the stadium announcer for the club’s U23s. He values the “friendly exchange between Hertha fans” and would like to bring his 30 years of volunteer experience to the table in order to contribute to the future of the club. Michael Ottow has held several elected positions before (audit committee, head of football, chairman of the association committee, member of the presidential board) and was nominated by Werner Gegenbauer.

Ingmar Pering (55 years old, married, 1 child)

In addition to his work with Christian Wolter in bringing the ‘Hertha’ steamship back to Berlin, Ingmar Pering has been a member of the presidential board since 2007 and would like to continue to represent the interests of the members within the board. Hertha BSC are “almost a life-long relationship, that’s still unfulfilled!” In the future, he would like to continue to stand up for the preservation of traditions and club life in the midst of the ongoing commercialisation of football. The lawyer was nominated by Dirk Steffel.

Peer Mock-Stümer (53 years old, married, 1 child)

Peer Mock-Stümer has been the chairman of the Hertha BSC boxing department for 13 years now. The steady growth of the department led the club to open a second boxing location in 2020. For the Berlin native, Hertha are “more than the sum of all its departments and our professional football team.” Instead, it is a feeling and a connection to Berlin. As a presidential board member, he would like to work on strengthening the departments and existing partnerships, in addition to the financial security and the preservation of that “Hertha feeling.” He was nominated by Werner Gegenbauer.

Fabian Drescher (37 years, married, 2 children)

The Spandau native has been a season ticket holder since 1998 and associates the many lasting friendships and the passion and enthusiasm shared by the members of the Hertha family with the club. In the future, he would like to ensure that the decision-making power “lies with Hertha BSC and that our club is not controlled by outsiders.” He also wants members and fans to be “more involved in club life than ever before,” and to take a stand against exclusion of any kind. The lawyer was nominated by Werner Gegenbauer.

Anne Jüngermann (34 years old, married, 1 child)

For Anne Jüngermann, Hertha BSC represents “20 years of love, passion and excitement.” She has been a season ticket holder for 15 years and would like to bring her “sports and marketing experience to the presidential board in order to support Hertha as best as possible.” Jüngermann, a content manager, has been a member since 2002 and was nominated by Marco Wurzbacher.