Political decision-makers, leading representatives of companies, science and civil society from all over the world will once again meet this year from 20 to 24 January for the 55th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. Once again, FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH International Marketing of the Region (FRM GmbH) organised the region's traditional reception in 2025 and invited high-calibre people from politics and international business to network with representatives of the region.
‘Frankfurt RheinMain. The Reception’ is supported by Frankfurt Main Finance e.V. as a partner for the financial centre Frankfurt, the City of Frankfurt, DZ Bank and, for the first time, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. A high-calibre panel discussion took place in the new, prominently located venue. Finance Minister Dr Jörg Kukies, a representative of the German government, spoke at the Frankfurt RheinMain Region reception for the first time since the reception was first held. Dr Joachim Nagel, President of the Deutsche Bundesbank, and Souâd Benkredda, Member of the Board of Managing Directors of DZ BANK, represented the financial centre. This year, the life sciences industry also played a central role: Michael Sen, CEO an Chairman of the Management Board of Fresenius, was also part of the panel. The panel was once again moderated by the well-known presenter Astrid Frohloff.
As in the previous year, Mike Josef, Lord Mayor of the City of Frankfurt and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of FRM GmbH, welcomed 190 high-ranking guests from all over the world. The organisers were particularly pleased about the visit of the President of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, who was once again a guest at the event.
‘In our rapidly changing world, major political and economic changes, geopolitical tensions and climate change are becoming increasingly challenging. It is therefore of central importance to spread a spirit of optimism and to believe in the development potential of our city and region and to translate this into concrete actions and successes, as we have been doing for decades. As a local politician, I am confronted with the challenges of our citizens and our companies on a daily basis. It is my responsibility and also the responsibility of my colleagues to ensure that people are heard, understood and respected at local level. We must take this responsibility very seriously. This also answers the question of why we are here in Davos: To achieve a benefit for the people via the positive economic development of our region,’ says Mike Josef.
The metropolitan region Frankfurt RheinMain is the only German region to be represented with a reception in Davos. In addition to Mike Josef, representatives of Frankfurt RheinMain included Frankfurt Mayor Dr Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg, Dr Felix Schwenke, Lord Mayor of the City of Offenbach, Martin Burlon, Mayor of the City of Dreieich, Volker Ludwig, Vice President of the Frankfurt Chamber of Industry and Commerce and Bernhard Grieb, Managing Director Frankfurt Economic Development in Davos to promote the region at the FRM GmbH reception.
Dr Joachim Nagel, President of the Deutsche Bundesbank, emphasized the strength of the financial centre: ‘An attractive financial centre in Germany is not least important for solving the structural challenges facing the German economy. And we can become even better. In order to further strengthen the financial centre, the relevant players must work together. The Bundesbank is actively involved in this.’
Souâd Benkredda, Member of the Board of Managing Directors of DZ BANK, adds: ‘With over 70,000 employees, Frankfurt is Germany's leading financial centre. Thanks to its central location in the heart of Europe, the city offers strategic advantages such as direct access to international markets. A first-class infrastructure, including one of the largest airports in Europe, as well as the proximity to the ECB, leading banks and global companies, strengthen Frankfurt's importance as a business location and make the city a magnet for qualified professionals.’
Decision-makers from national and international companies, associations and corporations as well as numerous guests from the world of politics attended the FRM GmbH event in Davos. Among them were Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, Frank Scheidig, Global Head of Senior Executive Banking DZ BANK AG, Dr Kai Beckmann, CEO Merck KGaA, Katharine Braddick, Group Head of Strategy Policy and Adviser to the Group CEO Barclays, Sapthagiri Chapalapalli, Director Centre EuropeTata Consultancy Services Deutschland GmbH, Dr. Ingrid Hengster, CEO Barcleys Investment Bank Germany, Catrin Hinkel, CEO Microsoft Switzerland, Erik Jakob, Swiss Consul General, Hani Kablawi, Senior Executive Vice President and Head of International BNY, Peter Krafft, CFO Mizuho Securities Europe GmbH, Martin Liebi, CEO ODDO BHF Switzerland, Dr. Sabine Mauderer, Vice President Deutsche Bundesbank, Bettina Orlopp, CEO Commerzbank AG, Wolfgang Proissl, Director General Communications ECB, Dr Stefan Schulte, CEO Fraport AG, Christian Sewing, CEO Deutsche Bank AG, Ohira Shogo, CEO Nomura Financial Products Europe, Garry Sorrentino, Global CIO Zoom Communications, Hauke Stars, Member of the Board of Management for Digital Transformation Volkswagen AG, Dr Mirjam Staub-Bisang, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and Senior Advisor Blackrock Switzerland, Heiko Thoms, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance for European and International Financial Policy, Carsten Knop, Publisher of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Gerald Braunberger, Publisher of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
‘For us as the Frankfurt RheinMain region, it is absolutely vital to be present at events with international appeal such as the WEF. This is where we meet top international decision-makers and hold exciting discussions. Many of our international dialogue partners are not necessarily aware that Frankfurt RheinMain is not only an important business location, but also a region with absolutely outstanding expertise in the fields of life sciences, pharmaceuticals and IT. The quality of our guests, but also of our speakers, shows us very clearly how important our event in Davos has become,’ says Eric Menges, President & CEO FRM GmbH.