Dr. Barbara Hendricks, born in 1952, studied history and social sciences and earned her doctorate in economic history. After various professional activities, she was a member of the German Bundestag from 1994 to 2021 and Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Finance from 1998 to 2007.

From 2013 to 2018, she was Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety.