ECB appoints Wolfgang Proissl as Director General Communications

PRESS RELEASE

7 October 2020

• Wolfgang Proissl to start on 1 January 2021

The Executive Board of the European Central Bank (ECB) has appointed Wolfgang Proissl to the position of Director General Communications (DG-C) as of 1 January 2021.

Mr Proissl, 54, is currently Head of Communication and Chief Spokesperson at the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), a position he has held since October 2012. He previously held positions at the Financial Times Deutschland as Chief Correspondent in Frankfurt, reporting on monetary policy and international finance, Bureau Chief in Brussels and Foreign Editor in Berlin. Prior to that, he was Paris economic correspondent for Die Zeit.

Mr Proissl holds a master’s degree in economics from Cologne University and a degree in economic and political journalism from the Cologne Journalism School. He participated in a one-year European post-graduate programme at the Centre de Formation des Journalistes (CFJ) in Paris. Furthermore, Mr Proissl took part in the World Fellows Programme at Yale University.

Mr Proissl will replace Christine Graeff, who left the ECB on 30 September 2020 to take up a position in the private sector. Until 31 December 2020, Thierry Bracke and Conny Lotze, Deputy Directors General Communications, will lead the Directorate General Communications.

For media queries, please contact Stefan Ruhkamp, tel.: +49 69 1344 5057.

Notes

• The Directorate General Communications contributes to the establishment of long-term relationships and dialogue with the ECB’s key internal and external stakeholders. It enhances stakeholders’ engagement by linking the official views and decisions of the ECB/Eurosystem/ESCB with their areas of interest. It devises relevant communication strategies, messages and materials tailored to the needs of its various audience groups. It also manages all contact and activities involving those internal and external stakeholders (handling media relations, managing digital content and dialogue, responding to specific enquiries, organising visits and events, designing publications and educational material, and engaging with management and staff on key communication issues). The Directorate General furthermore has a dedicated Division providing language services.