- Born in Hamburg
- Raised in Hamburg, Madrid, Bonn and Essen
- Legal studies in Freiburg, Münster (Dr. iur.), and New York (M.C.J., New York University)
- Foreign associate at a law firm in Washington, D.C.
- Notarassessor (notary prior to official appointment) in Hamburg
- Lawyer and partner at the Clifford Chance law firm in Frankfurt am Main
- Admission as notary in Frankfurt am Main
- Former member of supervisory boards of ThyssenKrupp AG and of Praktiker AG (Chairman)
- Member of the board of trustees of the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation in Essen
- Member of the board of trustees of the Städel Museum in Frankfurt am Main
- Member of the board of trustees of the Foundation of the Protestant Church of Hesse and Nassau
- Married, three grown-up children
- Working languages: German, English, and French
