Council elected a new leader: New chairperson chosen by the council
A Changing of the Guard in the Wupperverband's Board
In the hectic end-of-April meetings, a significant shift occurred within the Wupperverband's governing body, the Verbandsrat. The passing of the baton from Claudia Fischer and Bernd Hibst to Thorsten Bunte and Prof. Dr. Thomas Hoffmann marked the conclusion of a chapter, paving the way for new leadership and initiatives.
The Verbandsratsvorsitzender position will now be held by Thorsten Bunte, the Stadtkämmerer and deputy mayor of Wuppertal, starting May 1. Prof. Dr. Thomas Hoffmann, the CEO of EWR GmbH in Remscheid, steps into the role of deputy Verbandsratsvorsitzender from May. Bernd Hibst, currently head of the finance department in Leverkusen, handed over his duties to Hoffmann.
Claudia Fischer, previously an authorized officer and EC manager for water management at WSW Energie & Wasser AG, has been a Verbandsrat member since 2008 and held the chair since 2010. Bernd Hibst took on the role of deputy Verbandsratsvorsitzender in June 2022 and joined the committee in December 2020.
As they stepped down, the outgoing chairs were thanked for their years of dedicated service. The challenges faced by the Wupperverband, from implementing the EU Water Framework Directive to adapting to climate change, received attention under Fischer's 15-year leadership. Accolades poured in for her exceptional, trusting cooperation and her major achievements for the Wupperverband.
"Thorsten Bunte and Prof. Dr. Thomas Hoffmann now take the reins of the Verbandsrat, ready to tackle current tasks and future development themes with us," Ingo Noppen, a board member, highlighted.
The Multi-faceted Verbandsrat
The Verbandsrat is an integral part of the Wupperverband, an association responsible for water resources and infrastructure management. It plays a crucial role in overseeing the strategic decisions of the association and supervising its management.
Consisting of 15 members, the Verbandsrat features representatives from independent cities, municipalities, districts, water suppliers, industry, and employee representatives. The committee members serve a 5-year term, with the current term ending in December 2028.
In the recent elections, Bernd Buchholz, an FDP member, took over the leadership role from Dr. Frank-Michael Woischnik, marking a political shift towards the Free Democratic Party in the Verbandsrat.
If you're curious to learn more about the individual leaders or the Verbandsrat's functions and responsibilities, I'm more than happy to share additional information.
In the Verbandsrat, the governing body of the Wupperverband, Thorsten Bunte and Prof. Dr. Thomas Hoffmann are now assuming leadership roles, replacing Claudia Fischer and Bernd Hibst, following significant changes in the April meetings (politics). Acknowledging the challenges faced by the Verbandsrat, such as implementing the EU Water Framework Directive and adapting to climate change, Bernd Buchholz, a representative from the Free Democratic Party, recently took over the leadership role from Dr. Frank-Michael Woischnik in the recent elections, signifying a shift towards this political party in the Verbandsrat (general-news).
