AGI News
Georg F. W. Schaeffler Assumes Chairmanship of the American-German Institute
New York, NY, October 29, 2025 – Georg F. W. Schaeffler has assumed the Chairmanship of the Board of Trustees of the American-German Institute, a center for policy research and scholarship dedicated to the most important political, economic, and security issues confronting Germany and the United States in the global arena. Mr. Schaeffler’s experience leading one of the world’s largest family-owned companies and one that is among Germany’s most innovative makes him particularly suited to lead the Institute.
Mr. Schaeffler is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Schaeffler AG and shareholder of the Schaeffler Group, which has more than 110,000 employees and 200 sites globally, including eighty-two production facilities and twenty R&D centers. Mr. Schaeffler will serve as the Institute’s eighth chairman. “I care deeply about the transatlantic relationship. I have lived in the United States and Germany, and the Schaeffler Group forms part of the industrial backbone of the United States,” said Mr. Schaeffler. “I value the contributions that research and scientific organizations make to public policy and am excited to take on this role at a respected think tank that delivers critical analysis of the German-American partnership.”
He succeeds Prof. Dr. h.c. Martin H. Richenhagen, Former Chairman, President and CEO, AGCO Corporation, who served as Chairman for the last five years. Of his successor, Dr. Richenhagen said, “For over ten years as a Trustee at AGI, Georg has invested in and supported the German-American partnership. As the leader of a family company that delivers consistent products while innovating to address global challenges, his vision and experience are ideal to lead the American-German Institute.”
Mr. Schaeffler joined the AGI Board of Trustees in 2013. In addition to his tasks in the Schaeffler Group, Georg F. W. Schaeffler is a member of the Supervisory Board of Continental AG and also a member of its Presiding Committee and Audit Committee. After finishing high school in 1984 in Herzogenaurach, he served two years in the German armed forces (lieutenant in the Air Force reserves). From 1986 to 1990, he studied business at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland and obtained the “lic. oec. HSG” degree. Between 1990 and 1996, he worked in various functions in the Schaeffler Group, including duties in Germany and in the United States. In 1996, Mr. Schaeffler began to study law at Duke University’s School of Law in Durham, North Carolina and, in 2000, he obtained the combined degree of Juris Doctor (cum laude) and Master of Law in international and comparative law. After completing his studies, Mr. Schaeffler worked for some years as a business lawyer in one of the largest law firms in the southwestern part of the United States of America.
The American-German Institute (AGI) in Washington, DC, is the only think tank focused exclusively on the most pressing issues at stake for Germany and the United States. The Institute possesses in-depth policy and academic expertise and an extensive network on both sides of the Atlantic. AGI collaborates with policymakers, corporate leaders, and scholars to deliver in-depth, actionable analysis and fresh ideas that help anticipate trends, manage risk, and shape policy choices.
For more information, contact:
Elizabeth Hotary
Communications Officer
ehotary@aicgs.org
