Our Team

Since March 2019, Lutz Birke has been Head of Office I "Ports and Innovation" of the Ministry of Economics and Innovation. After 14 years of service in the German Federal Armed Forces, his civil career began in 2005 at the Hamburg Parliament, where he was responsible for the topics of transport, urban development and environment. After holding various positions (2005 - 2010) and leading positions at the Hamburg Port Authority (2010 - 2019), in which he was jointly responsible for the strategic development of the Port of Hamburg, he has also been a member of the LIHH Supervisory Board since June 2019.

Kerstin Wendt-Heinrich is Managing Director of TOP Mehrwert-Logistik GmbH & Co. KG. At the age of 18, she took over the human resources department of the family-owned company and joined the management team after graduating with a degree in business administration. She has been involved in voluntary work from the very beginning. For example, she is on the board of the Verband Straßengüterverkehr Hamburg (VSH), on the board of the Kundendienst-Verband Deutschland (KVD), a member of the plenum of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and also heads the Logistics, Port and Shipping Committee there. Since 2021 she has been Chairwoman of the Board of LIHH e.V. and Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of Logistik-Initiative Hamburg, and since 2022 Deputy Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of LIHH Management GmbH.

The graduate geographer has held various positions at Deutsche Bahn AG since 1990. In July 2013 she became Group Representative for the states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, which was supplemented in 2018 by the states of Niedersachsen and Bremen. Ms. Herbort has been a member of the board of LIHH e.V. since 2014. With the restructuring, she also took over the task of representing the economic side of the public-private partnership on the Supervisory Board of Management GmbH.

Dr. Mellwig is Head of the Hamburg-wide Services and Organisation Department in the Financial Authority of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Office 4. Dr. Mellwig, who holds a doctorate in law, has been supporting the work of the LIHH since 2010. Previously, she joined the Financial Authority in 2019 as Head of the Port and Logistics Department and Deputy Head of Office in the BWVI.

The business graduate was appointed to the Management Board of DHL Freight GmbH in 2015, as Head of Sales & Marketing, Germany. Since 2018 he has also been responsible for the Austria division. Since 2020 he is the Chief Sales Officer of DHL Freight. Mr. Schneemann has been a member of the board of LIHH e.V. since 2009. Since 2018, he has also assumed the task of representing the economic side of the public-private partnership on the Supervisory Board of Management GmbH.

She holds a doctorate in engineering and has held civil professional positions in the transport sector for the City of Hamburg since 2009. Since 2020, she has been responsible for the Transport Development Division at the Ministry of Transport and Mobility Change (BVM) and has been involved in our Supervisory Board since 2018 as a representative of the public sector in public-private partnerships.

Kerstin Wendt-Heinrich is Managing Director of TOP Mehrwert-Logistik GmbH & Co. KG. At the age of 18, she took over the human resources department of the family-owned company and joined the management team after graduating with a degree in business administration. She has been involved in voluntary work from the very beginning. For example, she is on the board of the Verband Straßengüterverkehr Hamburg (VSH), on the board of the Kundendienst-Verband Deutschland (KVD), a member of the plenum of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and also heads the Logistics, Port and Shipping Committee there. Since 2021 she has been Chairwoman of the Board of LIHH e.V. and Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of Logistik-Initiative Hamburg, and since 2022 Deputy Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of LIHH Management GmbH.

As co-founder of the LIHH, Prof. Dr. Peer Witten has been actively involved in the LIHH network since 2006 and supports us with his knowledge and experience in our thematic work and strategic orientation. Prof. Witten is a member of the supervisory board of the Otto Group and honorary chairman of the Bundesvereinigung Logistik e.V. . In 2005 he was honoured with the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon and his logistical milestones were recognised in 2017 when he was inducted into the Logistics Hall of Fame.

The graduate geographer has held various positions at Deutsche Bahn AG since 1990. In July 2013 she became Group Representative for the states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, which was supplemented in 2018 by the states of Niedersachsen and Bremen. Ms. Herbort has been a member of the board of LIHH e.V. since 2014. With the restructuring, she also took over the task of representing the economic side of the public-private partnership on the Supervisory Board of Management GmbH.

The business graduate was appointed to the Management Board of DHL Freight GmbH in 2015, as Head of Sales & Marketing, Germany. Since 2018 he has also been responsible for the Austria division. Since 2020 he is the Chief Sales Officer of DHL Freight. Mr. Schneemann has been a member of the board of LIHH e.V. since 2009. Since 2018, he has also assumed the task of representing the economic side of the public-private partnership on the Supervisory Board of Management GmbH.

Member of the Management Board, Röhlig & Co. Holding GmbH & Co. KG

Dr. Peter Bielert was born in 1964 in Verden an der Aller. After studying industrial engineering in Hamburg, he earned his doctorate in quality management at the Institute of Information Systems at the University of Hamburg. He then worked for pdv Unternehmensberatung GmbH. Since 2001, Dr. Peter Bielert has been working for F. Reyher Nchfg. GmbH & Co. KG in Hamburg in the areas of IT and logistics. Since 2009, he has been managing director of the company and is also responsible for purchasing, accounting and human resources.

In an honorary capacity, he is also a member of the Executive Committee of the AGA Unternehmensverband, Hamburg and of the Executive Committee of the Bundesverband Großhandel, Außenhandel, Dienstleistungen e.V., BGA, Berlin.

President, Association of Hamburg Port Companies (HHM)

Managing partner SACO Shipping GmbH,
NVOCC Services LCL Import and Export Worldwide, with offices and packing plants in Hamburg and Bremen, as well as at locations within and outside Europe.

1979 completion of apprenticeship in Hamburg as forwarding agent - at that time already with focus on port with all its services, then change to forwarding export West Africa (Nigeria), transition to the growing container business, i.e. NVOCC - services/groupage containers. 1988 foundation of SACO Shipping GmbH.

International Union of Private Wagons (UIP)
President of UIP and former Chairman of the Executive Board of VTG AG

Dr. Heiko Fischer studied economics in Germany and the USA. In 1996 he received his doctorate from the Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg. Dr. Fischer began his professional career at VTG in 1995. In May 2004, Dr. Fischer was appointed Chairman of the Executive Board of VTG AG. He is also a member of the Supervisory Board of Navigator Holdings Ltd. listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is President of the International Union of Wagon Owners (UIP) in Brussels. In June 2021, he resigned from his position as Chairman of the Management Board and has been a Senior Advisor at VTG since July 2021.

Chairman of the Management Board, Agentur für Arbeit Hamburg

Member of the Management Board,
HHLA Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG

After studying mechanical engineering and business administration, Jens Hansen worked as a freelance engineer and controller for a Hamburg publishing house. He joined HHLA at the end of 2003. Initially he built up controlling for Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA); from 2007 he was head of controlling for all HHLA's container terminal companies. In 2011 he became a member of the management board of Container Terminal Burchardkai (CTB). He has been a member of HHLA's Executive Board since April 2017 and is responsible for Operations, Technology and Information Systems.

Chief Executive
Hamburg Chamber of Commerce

After studying economics in Bamberg, Heyne earned his doctorate at the University of Bremen. He then began working in economic development in 2004 with close contacts to the chamber organization.

In 2007, he moved to the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. From 2010 to 2014, he headed the Tourism and Sports Department in the Infrastructure Division.

In 2014, he continued his professional career as managing director of IHK Nord e.V.. Here he bundled the common interests of the twelve North German member chambers. He realigned IHK Nord, increased cost efficiency and reformed the association and committee structure. Key topics included foreign trade, energy and industrial policy, and innovation and start-ups.

Chairman of the Advisory Board HOYER Group
HOYER GmbH International Specialist Forwarding

Hamburg-born Thomas R. J. Hoyer studied at the University of St. Gallen and began his career in the logistics sector at an early age. From 1980 onwards, he was responsible for international operations within the HOYER Group, before taking over the management of the international logistics company in 1986. Thomas Hoyer has been Chairman of the Advisory Board since 2007. In addition, he holds various offices as an advisory board member, member of the executive board or board of directors in trade and logistics-related and intercultural associations.

Director Fraunhofer Center for Maritime Logistics and Services CML

Carlos Jahn began his professional career in the German Navy. He studied mechanical engineering and economics and subsequently earned his doctorate at the Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg. Carlos Jahn held various management and staff positions in science and business before accepting the appointment as professor and head of the Institute of Maritime Logistics at the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg in 2009. In 2010 the Fraunhofer Center for Maritime Logistics and Services was founded.

Head of the Institute for Logistics and Corporate Management at TUHH.

Professor Kersten studied industrial engineering at the TU Darmstadt and earned his doctorate at the University of Passau. He then took on various management positions at Mercedes-Benz AG. In 1998, he was appointed to the Technical University of Hamburg (TUHH), where he established the Institute for Logistics and Corporate Management. Prof. Kersten conducts research on the digital transformation of companies and on risk and sustainability management in logistics. In addition, he is involved in scientific expert committees and expert groups as well as a member of advisory and supervisory boards.

managing partner,
Buss Group GmbH & Co. KG

Managing Partner Eichholtz GmbH

Franziska Kraupner, a native of Hamburg, joined the family business Eichhholtz GmbH after graduating in business administration from the Nordakademie and a longer professional stay abroad. After successfully building up various business areas, she joined the management of the company after a short time. 

chief executive officer
HPA Hamburg Port Authority AöR

As a graduate computer scientist with more than 25 years of experience in the port, logistics, IT and finance sectors, Jens Meier is a recognised thought leader and much sought-after speaker with a strong media presence in the field of digitalisation and the future of the maritime economy. He has been CEO of the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) since 2008. His previous professional stations include board positions at Fiege Holding, the tts Group, Systematics AG (later EDS) and Software Design & Management AG (Ernst & Young Group). In May 2019 Jens Meier was elected Vice-President of the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH). Jens Meier's honorary commitment includes positions as founding chairman of the Hamburger Informatik Forum e.V., several seats on supervisory boards and boards of trustees, and his position as president of the Hamburger Sport Verein e.V. from 2015 to 2018.

Sara Paul is a specialist for transport insurances (DVA) and has been working as a partner together with her father and sister at the broker SPEDITIONS-ASSEKURANZ GmbH, the family business specialized in all insurances around the logistics industry, since her training as an insurance agent. In 2017, together with her sister Sina Schlosser, she founded the insurance company ASSEKURANZ-KONTOR Geschwister Schlosser GmbH, where she serves as managing director. As a sideline, Ms. Paul is a member of the supervisory board of Overseas-Freightes AG, which specializes in ocean freight, and a founding member of the insurtech startup INSURFOX. In LIHH e.V. she has been involved in the working group Risk + Law for years.

Chairman of the board,
General Association of Schleswig-Holstein Ports

Frank Schnabel, MBA and business economist, has been managing director of the SCHRAMM group / Brunsbüttel Ports GmbH for the ports/logistics sector since 2007. In 2017, Frank Schnabel, as Managing Director of Schramm Ports & Logistics Sweden AB, took over the majority shares of the Swedish port and logistics company SSHAB in Söderhamn.

Frank Schnabel is also a member of the presidium of the Central Association of German Seaport Operators, a member of the board and deputy chairman of the General Association of Schleswig-Holstein Ports and spokesman of the plant managers' meeting of ChemCoast Park Brunsbüttel.

Managing Partner
Willem van der Schalk International GmbH

From 1978 to July 2021, Willem van der Schalk was CEO and Regional Managing Director at a.hartrodt.

Since March 2020 he is both President of CLECAT (European Association for Forwarding, Logistic and Customs Services) and Vice President of Handeslakmmer Hamburg.

Since April 2021, Willem van der Schalk has also been an independent Managing Director in his company.

Professor Dr. Thomas Strothotte is President of the Kühne Logistics University. Born in Canada in 1959, he studied physics and computer science in Vancouver and Montréal. He habilitated at the University of Stuttgart in 1989, and after a short time with IBM he was appointed university professor at the Free University of Berlin, then at the University of Magdeburg. From 2006 he was head of the state universities in Rostock and Regensburg before joining KLU in August 2013.

CEO
Offen Group

born 27 March 1968 in Flensburg; 1988 - 1993 law studies in Hamburg; 1994 - 1996 legal traineeship; 1997 - 2005 lawyer and partner in a medium-sized law firm ;1999 - 2008 Head of Hamburg Süd's Legal Department; 2006 - 2008 Head of Dry Tramp Tonnage Hamburg Süd/Rudolf A. Oetker KG; since 2009 Member of the Executive Board of Hamburg Süd; from Dec. 2017 to March 2021 Spokesman of the Executive Board of Hamburg Süd.

Kerstin Wendt-Heinrich is Managing Director of TOP Mehrwert-Logistik GmbH & Co. KG. At the age of 18, she took over the human resources department of the family-owned company and joined the management team after graduating with a degree in business administration. She has been involved in voluntary work from the very beginning. For example, she is on the board of the Verband Straßengüterverkehr Hamburg (VSH), on the board of the Kundendienst-Verband Deutschland (KVD), a member of the plenum of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and also heads the Logistics, Port and Shipping Committee there. Since 2021 she has been Chairwoman of the Board of LIHH e.V. and Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of Logistik-Initiative Hamburg, and since 2022 Deputy Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of LIHH Management GmbH.

As co-founder of the LIHH, Prof. Dr. Peer Witten has been actively involved in the LIHH network since 2006 and supports us with his knowledge and experience in our thematic work and strategic orientation. Prof. Witten is a member of the supervisory board of the Otto Group and honorary chairman of the Bundesvereinigung Logistik e.V. . In 2005 he was honoured with the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon and his logistical milestones were recognised in 2017 when he was inducted into the Logistics Hall of Fame.

The graduate geographer has held various positions at Deutsche Bahn AG since 1990. In July 2013 she became Group Representative for the states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, which was supplemented in 2018 by the states of Niedersachsen and Bremen. Ms. Herbort has been a member of the board of LIHH e.V. since 2014. With the restructuring, she also took over the task of representing the economic side of the public-private partnership on the Supervisory Board of Management GmbH.

The business graduate was appointed to the Management Board of DHL Freight GmbH in 2015, as Head of Sales & Marketing, Germany. Since 2018 he has also been responsible for the Austria division. Since 2020 he is the Chief Sales Officer of DHL Freight. Mr. Schneemann has been a member of the board of LIHH e.V. since 2009. Since 2018, he has also assumed the task of representing the economic side of the public-private partnership on the Supervisory Board of Management GmbH.

Dr. Peter Bielert was born in 1964 in Verden an der Aller. After studying industrial engineering in Hamburg, he earned his doctorate in quality management at the Institute of Information Systems at the University of Hamburg. He then worked for pdv Unternehmensberatung GmbH. Since 2001, Dr. Peter Bielert has been working for F. Reyher Nchfg. GmbH & Co. KG in Hamburg in the areas of IT and logistics. Since 2009, he has been managing director of the company and is also responsible for purchasing, accounting and human resources.

In an honorary capacity, he is also a member of the Executive Committee of the AGA Unternehmensverband, Hamburg and of the Executive Committee of the Bundesverband Großhandel, Außenhandel, Dienstleistungen e.V., BGA, Berlin.

Head of the Institute for Logistics and Corporate Management at TUHH.

Professor Kersten studied industrial engineering at the TU Darmstadt and earned his doctorate at the University of Passau. He then took on various management positions at Mercedes-Benz AG. In 1998, he was appointed to the Technical University of Hamburg (TUHH), where he established the Institute for Logistics and Corporate Management. Prof. Kersten conducts research on the digital transformation of companies and on risk and sustainability management in logistics. In addition, he is involved in scientific expert committees and expert groups as well as a member of advisory and supervisory boards.