Two New Board Members for ZEW Sponsors' Association
PersonnelDr. Virginia Bastian (Roche) and Jan Berg (MLP) Appointed to Governing Body of ZEW Sponsors' Association
At its last meeting on 22 May 2025, the Board of the ZEW Sponsors’ Association for Science and Practice appointed Dr. Virginia Bastian, director of human resources at Roche, and Jan Berg, executive board spokesman at MLP, as new members.
Virginia Bastian takes the place of Clemens Schmid, who had been member of the board since 2022. Bastian has been Head of People and Culture at Roche Germany since September 2024, joining the company from Deutsche Bank AG. Schmid has moved to Roche Switzerland.
Jan Berg has served as Spokesman of the Executive Board of MLP Finanzberatung SE since 2022 and looks back on a career in the company spanning more than 20 years. He succeeds Manfred Bauer, who served on the board for a term of eight years and retired at the end of April 2025.
The members of the Sponsors’ Association are called upon to confirm both appointments at their next meeting.
Adding strength to the network
Dr. Ralph Rheinboldt, Chairman of the Board of ZEW Sponsors’ Association, acknowledges the contributions of the departing board members: “Our sincere thanks go to Mr. Bauer and Mr. Schmid for their many years of dedicated service on the Board of the Sponsors’ Association. Their expertise and ideas have always been a reliable source of support for us. We are therefore all the more delighted that two leading companies in the region will continue to be represented on the board – now by Ms. Bastian and Mr. Berg. We warmly welcome them both. They bring valuable expertise and strengthen our network.”
About the ZEW Sponsors’ Association
The ZEW Sponsors’ Association for Science and Practice supports practice-relevant research projects, provides funding for ZEW lecture series with top-level speakers from the areas of politics, business and academia, and sponsors prizes for excellent scientific work and policy advice. The association counts approximately 140 large and medium-sized companies as well as private individuals among its members, who, through their commitment, support a strong economic research institute in Baden-Württemberg. For further information, please visit the ZEW Sponsors’ Association website (in German only).
