Dr. rer. pol. (lic. oec. HSG) Katrin Vernau, born in 1973 in Villingen-Schwenningen, is an economist and has been the Director of WDR since January 1, 2025.
Dr. Katrin Vernau studied at the University of St. Gallen and Columbia University. In 2001, she completed her doctorate at the University of Potsdam in the field of Public Management. She worked for around ten years in management consulting, most recently as a partner at Roland Berger. She also served as Chancellor and member of the university leadership at the Universities of Ulm and Hamburg. In 2022/2023, she took on the role of Director-General of rbb for one year. From 2015 to 2024, she was Administrative Director at WDR. Alongside her professional work, she is involved in volunteer activities: she has worked for various foundations and is Deputy Chair of the University Council of the University of Bonn.
