Lawyer Tanja Gönner, born in Sigmaringen, Germany in 1969, was a member of the German Bundestag representing the CDU from 2002 to 2004. From 2004 to 2005, she was Minister of Social Affairs, from 2005 to 2010 Minister of the Environment, and from 2010 to 2011 Minister of the Environment and Transport for the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg.

From 2012 to 2022, Gönner was spokesperson for the board of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Since November 2022, she has been Managing Director of the Federation of German Industries (BDI).

Gönner has been a member of the German Council for Sustainable Development since January 2023. In January 2026, she was appointed for her second term by Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

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