The entrepreneur's career has been shaped by management positions in strategic marketing at international companies in the region - such as Beiersdorf, Olympus and Johnson & Johnson.

Committed, informed and well networked describe the Hamburg resident well.

For 6 years she has been leading marketing and sales consulting with her company, UMSATZ SCHMIEDE, repositioning and realignment projects and supporting medium-sized companies in their digital transformation. Both professionally and on a voluntary basis, she advocates cross-border cooperation between business, science and politics in the Hamburg metropolitan region.

Modern communication and leadership and digital change are among Christine Witthöft's core competencies and she is always open to sharing and multiplying her acquired knowledge.

The "Strong Economy Hamburg" initiative is a platform for independent entrepreneurs who are not obliged to join a parliamentary group and stand for political neutrality, trustworthiness, openness, competence, fairness and sustainability. The goal is a modern chamber of commerce that is digital and lean, close to its members and acts openly.

The following Hamburg entrepreneurs, among others, are represented in the initiative:

• Prof. Norbert Aust, Tivoli / Schmidt Bühnen, PierDrei Hotel

• Astrid Nissen-Schmidt, Auren GmbH auditing company

• Thomas Flotow, Care & Living Hamburg GmbH

• Wilfried Baur, Jungheinrich AG

• Niels Pirck, Hamburger Sparkasse AG

• Holger Stanislawski, REWE Stanislawski & Laas GmbH & Co. oHg

• Stephan von Bülow, Elysée Hotel AG Hamburg

• Matthias Schmelzer, KPMG

• Robert Heinemann, ECE Projektmanagement GmbH & Co. KG

• Oliver Radtke, Gruner + Jahr GmbH

• Dr. Bettina Hees, Marine Therapy Solutions GmbH

• Ute Schoras, JOBPOWER Personaldienstleistungen GmbH

• Dr. Florian Brill, Dr. Brill + Partner GmbH, Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology

• Thorsten Lehmann, MAN Energy Solutions SE

• Sascha Schneider, Montblanc Simplo GmbH

• Christopher Franzen, ROCK ANTENNE Hamburg GmbH & Co. KG

• Jens Portmann, The Golden Hirschen Hamburg GmbH

• Jens Stacklies, Gröninger private brewery Hamburg

• Anja Ahlers, ADS Textil Handel GmbH

• Stephanie Krawehl, bookstore reading room and caf

• Stefan Wulff, OTTO WULFF Projektentwicklung GmbH

• Clemens Vatter, Signal Iduna Life Insurance aG

• Martina Warning, John Warning Corporate Communications GmbH

• and many other great personalities

Goals of the "Strong Economy Hamburg"

End standstill. Reshaping the economy. Rebuilding the Chamber of Commerce.

• Make Hamburg an innovation location in Europe

• Make Hamburg the center of the start-up scene in Germany

• Hamburg is becoming a pioneer in measures to combat the shortage of skilled workers

• Hamburg is renovating and expanding its public transport system and solving its massive traffic and mobility problems

• Restore the necessary overall representation of interests and impetus for business towards politics

• Create a strong relationship of trust between full-time and honorary positions

• Build a model chamber of commerce

• Hamburg needs a modern, strong Chamber of Commerce,

  • who takes care of the pressing issues

  • represents and promotes the interests of the economy and advises politics

  • that treats its employees fairly and uses and develops their skills

  • the content-related clock for the location and the city

  • which offers attractive opportunities for participation

Realignment and growth can only be achieved with a majority in favor of Strong Economy Hamburg.

Who can vote for Christine Witthöft?

• All service providers like

• tax consultant

• Auditors

• Business consultant

• health care provider

• and other service providers who belong to Christine Witthöft's electoral group

What is the election schedule?

• 05.09.2019: Plenary session: composition of the electoral committee and determination of the voting period

• 09/27/2019: Formal announcement - hk24: Call for elections

• November 1st, 2019: End of the nomination deadline

• November 15, 2019: Examination of nominations completed

• 11/18/2019: Formal announcement - hk24: Candidate lists

• 11/29/2019: grace period for individual subgroups

• December 9th, 2019: Meeting of the electoral committee

• 12/13/2019: Presentation of lists of candidates in plenary

• January 20, 2020: Start of the voting period

• 02/18/2020: Election period expires

• 02/21/2020: Formal announcement - hk24: Elected

• 03/11/2020: End of the presidential nomination deadline

• April 2nd, 2020: Constituent plenary meeting / election of the Preses / Presidium

What is the plenary?

Roughly speaking, the plenum represents the Hamburg economy and determines the guidelines for the work of the Chamber of Commerce. It also elects the President and Vice-Presidents of our Chamber of Commerce from among its ranks, who in turn appoint the Chief Executive Officer.

At the beginning of 2020, the Hamburg companies will elect the members of the plenum in nine electoral groups, which represent all sectors and company sizes of Hamburg's economy. The number of seats in an electoral group in the plenary session depends on the economic importance of the respective branch. This means that all branches of the economy are adequately represented. In each electoral group, seats are also reserved for small, medium-sized and large companies. The plenary is thus the reflection of the Hamburg economy.

How will the plenary 2020-2024 be composed exactly?

58 members of the plenary will be directly elected by the members of the Chamber at the beginning of 2020, from January 20. Up to nine plenary members can be indirectly elected by the directly elected plenary members. The prerequisite for elections is always that the plenum determines a need to refine the mirror image of the plenum.