18th Karlsruhe Dialogues – Speakers
Georg Schürmann
Georg Schürmann, born in 1962, is one of two managing directors at Triodos Bank N.V. Germany, where he is in charge of retail banking. Before coming to Triodos Bank in July 2009, he worked at Deutsche Bank for 20 years in the private and business client sector. After studying economics at the University of Cologne, Schürmann began his career at Deutsche Bank as a trainee in 1989. After occupying various positions within the company, he became the Munich regional manager in 2001, where he was responsible for 45 branches and 600 employees. In 2005 he moved to the Deutsche Bank headquarters in Frankfurt am Main to take up various managerial positions. In 2006 Schürmann became a member of the managing board of Private Banking Deutschland, where he was in charge of business operations. Schürmann is married and has three children.
Statement
Does the world market society promote or prevent the achievement of global humanitarian living conditions?
As an internationally operating bank, we see both the benefits and drawbacks of a world market society on a daily basis. We have made it our corporate mission to help shape a society that promotes quality of life for all people and enables them to live in dignity. All people should have the freedom to develop themselves, and all should be granted the same rights – but everyone should also be responsible for the consequences of their own economic actions. Investors in Germany should ask themselves whether their money, through the activities of their bank, is exploiting or harming other people in the world. Responsible consumption is only one side of the coin; responsible investment is the other.