Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Bender has served as Fraport AG's chairman of the executive board since January 1993. He is chief executive officer of the Fraport Group, which is active in the Aviation, Ground Handling, Retail & Properties, and External Activities business segments and employs 22,000 people worldwide.
The organizational units reporting directly to Prof. Dr. Bender include: the Corporate Strategy and the Internal Auditing staff departments; the Ground Services strategic business unit; the central units Marketing, Sales Support, Boards and Committees; and Corporate Communications.
Under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Bender the company has been pushing expansion of Frankfurt Airport. At the same time, Prof. Dr. Bender has led the company to financial strength, for example, through its successful IPO in 2001. By pursuing an internationalization strategy and opening up new business segments Prof. Dr. Bender has put the Group on a broader and solid basis. Today, Fraport is a global player that is excellently positioned in the aviation industry.
Born on August 3 1944, Wilhelm Bender studied law and economic sciences and holds a doctorate in law from the University of Giessen, Germany. From 1974 to 1984 he held various positions with Deutsche Bahn. In 1984 he became managing director of "Verkehrsforum Bahn" (the Rail Transport Forum industry association). From 1990 he served as chairman of the executive board of Schenker & Co GmbH and later as a member of the executive board of Schenker-Rehnus AG and chairman of the executive board of Schenker Waggon- und Beteiligungs AG.
Prof. Dr. Bender holds a seat on the governing board of Airports Council International (ACI), the worldwide association of airports. In his capacity as chairman of the executive board of the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main Business Initiative and through numerous other honorary posts, Prof. Dr. Bender is actively committed to promoting the dynamic Rhine-Main region.
Prof. Dr. Bender is also a supervisory board member of ThyssenKrupp Services AG, MTU Aero Engines Holding AG, Lufthansa CityLine GmbH, and Signal Iduna Allgemeine Versicherung AG.
In July 2008, Wilhelm Bender was appointed honorary professor of the economics department of Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main.
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