Born in the German city of Essen in 1973, Thomas Kufen has been Lord Mayor of Essen since October 2015. His political work seeks to centre issues including the importance of local authorities as key players in government and society, sound budget management, urban development, security, education and economic policy.

After successfully completing vocational training as an office administrator in 1994, Kufen entered the world of work as a commercial clerk for a medium-sized company in Essen, where he worked until 2004. He has been a member of the Council of the City of Essen for the CDU since 1999 and served as a member of the state parliament as well as commissioner for integration for the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia from 2005 to 2010.
In October 2015, Kufen was elected Lord Mayor of Essen, an office he continues to hold having been twice re-elected. From 2022 to 2024, he was Chair of the Association of Cities of North Rhine-Westphalia and has held the position of Deputy Chair since 2024. Since 2015, he has also been Deputy Spokesperson for the Local Government Council in the Ruhr Regional Association (RVR) and has been a member of the CDU Germany Federal Board since 2018.

Thomas Kufen was appointed to the German Council for Sustainable Development in January 2026.

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