Board of Directors
An honorary position against hunger and poverty.
Specialists in nutrition, social issues and development, business, human resources – our Board is made up of volunteer experts who have one thing in common: a desire to end hunger and poverty in the world.
Guided by Marlehn Thieme, Chair of the Board, the Board oversees the work of the Executive Management internally, and represents the organization externally.
Marlehn Thieme, Chair of the Board
Marlehn Thieme has been Chair of the Board of Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e. V. since 2018. She chairs the supervisory board of a co-operative bank (Bank for Church and Diaconia) and she chaired the ZDF German Public Service Television Council for 8 years until July 2024. As a lawyer who has been involved in various foundations, Marlehn Thieme held a number of senior positions at Deutsche Bank until 2013. She also advised the German government for 15 years as a member and chair of the German Council for Sustainable Development. In 2024, she was honoured with the Medal of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for her commitment to democracy.
Prof. Dr. Joachim von Braun, Vice Chair of the Board
An agricultural economist, Prof. Dr Joachim von Braun is a former Director of the Centre for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn and a distinguished Professor of Economic and Technological Change. He has been appointed to several national and international academies of science and was Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Since 2012 he has been Vice-Chairman of Welthungerhilfe’s Board of Directors. He is also President of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in the Vatican and is a member of the Scientific Group of the UN Food Systems process.
Dr. Bernd Widera, Chair of the Finance Committee
Dr. Bernd Widera has been chairing the Welthungerhilfe Finance Committee since November 2019. He served for several years as a lawyer on the executive board of RWE Deutschland AG, a German multinational energy company. Dr. Widera is also a member of the AMOS business club at Kommende Dortmund, the Social Institute of the Archdiocese of Paderborn, Germany.
Carl-Albrecht Bartmer, Board of Directors
Carl-Albrecht Bartmer was appointed to the Welthungerhilfe Board of Directors in 2020. He has been Chairman of the DLG (German Agricultural Society) Supervisory Board since 2018. Before that, the agricultural scientist and farmer was President of the DLG from 2006 to 2018. Since 1991, Carl-Albrecht Bartmer has been running his own arable farm in the Province of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
Amadou Diallo, Board of Directors
Amadou Diallo is CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Middle East & Africa and founder of Saloodo GmbH (LLC). He is also Chairman of the Board of the NGO Amref Deutschland e.V. and founder of the Bamouna Ba Foundation for Girls and Blue Saxo Music Production. Amadou Diallo is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Global Business School Networks in Washington.
Dr. Annette Niederfranke, Board of Directors
Dr. Annette Niederfranke, former State Secretary, is Director of the ILO (International Labor Organization) Office in Germany. She was State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) until 2014. Prior to that, she spent many years in senior positions at the BMAS and the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, most recently as Ministerial Director.
Prof. Dr. habil. Conrad Justus Schetter, Board of Directors
Prof. Dr. habil. Conrad Justus Schetter is Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Bonn and Research Director at the Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies (BICC). Previously, he was Deputy Director of the Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn. In 2016, he joined the Welthungerhilfe Board of Directors.
