Business experience - Family - Leadership experience

Grew up in Neuburg

Gerhard has deep roots in Neuburg an der Donau – he grew up on Karlsplatz, shaped by school, family, and many years of volunteer work in the parish of St. Peter. Together with his wife Sarah and their four children (aged 8, 11, 15, and 17), he lives in Neuburg in a multi-generational household: in the same house as his parents-in-law, with his parents living just across the street. This closeness to family, neighbors, and city life is not only important to him personally, but also drives him politically: Neuburg should be a place where families want to stay, feel safe, and have good prospects.

Gerhard has been working since his school days – including at the age of 16 at the Neuburg computer store "Calculus." There, he learned early on how crucial it is to really listen to customers and people, understand their needs, and tailor solutions accordingly. And to explain new topics (at that time, "the Internet") in an understandable way. These skills have stayed with him to this day: first understand, then act—clearly, respectfully, and practically.

Gerhard graduated from Descartes High School in 2000 and then moved to Munich for his civil service, later to Ulm, where he also completed his computer science studies at the University of Ulm in 2006. Sarah (née Sprenzel) and Gerhard married in May 2005.

Career stops in New York and Washington, D.C.

Professionally, Gerhard combines international experience with practical implementation skills—particularly in the automotive sector, which is a key industry in the region. A notable chapter in his career was his time in the US: four years in the Big Apple left their mark. In New York, he worked in a team on a highly critical auction system in the Federal Reserve Bank (US central bank) environment. In Washington, D.C., he took on leadership responsibility in a project for the US Treasury Department, developing software that evaluates complex economic data and uses it to derive reliable projections for the development of US debt. These years taught him to deliver in large, demanding structures: under pressure, with a high level of responsibility, and with a clear focus on results. At his disposal was the "secret weapon of computer scientists and engineers": breaking down big problems into solvable pieces and clearly mapping out the solution path.

Site manager with power of attorney in Munich

He later developed this leadership experience further as a department and site manager with power of attorney in Munich. Gerhard has interviewed 1,000 people, hired more than 100, and is proud that all of these people stayed with the company at least as long as he was their supervisor. Today, he works as an independent management consultant, primarily advising large automobile manufacturers and suppliers.

This ability has been a constant throughout his career to date: Gerhard helps people and organizations to work together in such a way that many people can work purposefully toward a positive result instead of coming to a standstill due to hierarchies and processes—with clear priorities, transparent decisions, unambiguous responsibilities, and collaboration that works across departmental boundaries. This is not theory, but practice: where many participants, interfaces, and dependencies interact, structure, communication, and control are needed to ensure that something really comes of it in the end. And someone who knows how to lead people.

This skill is directly relevant to the management of an administration. After all, a city administration is also a large organization with many departments, processes, responsibilities, and legal frameworks. The key question is: How can citizens ultimately achieve better results—faster, easier, more digitally, and more reliably? Gerhard stands for modern leadership that consistently prioritizes projects, clarifies responsibilities, makes progress visible, and removes obstacles. This does not make an administration colder, but more effective: less friction, less duplication of work, faster implementation—and higher service quality.

How do the residents of Neuburg benefit from this?

Gerhard's resume is therefore directly relevant to the key issues facing Neuburg: How can we promote Neuburg's economic development? How can we create an administration that is investment- and innovation-friendly? From his experience in the automotive industry, he knows what it takes to make a location economically strong: reliable processes, predictable decisions, clear points of contact, fast approvals, and good cooperation between the administration, businesses, and politicians. This is exactly where he comes in—to create better conditions for small and medium-sized businesses and skilled trades, digitally available services, transparent projects, and an administration that thinks in terms of enabling possibilities.

Political background

Gerhard was a silent member of the CSU for more than 10 years, left the party in 2018, and joined the Greens in 2019. As a mayoral candidate in 2020, he won 41.2% of the vote against incumbent Mayor Dr. Gmehling as a newcomer. Since 2020, he has been contributing his professional expertise and experience for the benefit of the people of Neuburg: as parliamentary group leader and district councilor, as well as spokesperson for innovation and digital affairs on the city council.

His approach to finding solutions is always the same—learned from practical experience and applied to Neuburg: clear goals, clear responsibilities, measurable progress. So that Neuburg is not only well managed, but actively shaped—economically strong, efficiently organized, and livable for all generations.