Female dual leadership at the Chamber of Crafts and Trades in Cottbus: Manja Bonin becomes Managing Director

Manja Bonin will be the first female dual leadership position at a Chamber of Skilled Crafts in Germany: she will become the new Managing Director of the Chamber of Skilled Crafts in Cottbus. Civil engineer Corina Reifenstein has been President since 2021.

This article is part of the special feature on women in the trades.

The general assembly of the Cottbus Chamber of Skilled Crafts unanimously elected Manja Bonin as its new managing director . This makes the Chamber of Skilled Crafts in Brandenburg the first skilled crafts organization with a female leader in both honorary and full-time positions . The 46-year-old Cottbus native will succeed Knut Deutscher on January 1, 2024. He led the Chamber for 28 years.

Knut Deutscher in an interview: The fall of the Berlin Wall, the new Crafts Code, laws and regulations: Knut Deutscher not only witnessed this period but actively helped shape it. In an interview with Stefan Buhren, editor-in-chief of Handwerksblatt, he primarily reflects on the period of reunification. Read the interview here .

Manja Bonin has extensive experience in management consulting. She has worked for the Cottbus Chamber of Skilled Crafts since 2008, serving as Managing Director for the past five years. A mother of two, she is responsible for areas such as career guidance, matching apprenticeships, management consulting, and structural change.

"I come from a family of craftsmen"

Knut Deutscher headed the Cottbus Chamber of Crafts for 28 years and will retire at the turn of the year. Photo: © Marco Thierbach

"The elected representatives of the skilled trades have placed a great deal of trust in me. The legacy Mr. Deutscher leaves behind is immense. My heart also beats for the region. I come from a family of skilled tradesmen. From this, I learned what it means to be self-employed. What it means when someone pursues their profession with passion. And what it means to find solutions with one's own hands. That's what it's all about: finding solutions instead of describing problems," Bonin emphasized.

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Manja Bonin will represent the interests of around 9.400 craft businesses with a total of 47.000 employees and 1.800 trainees.

Corina Reifenstein , president of the Cottbus Chamber of Skilled Crafts since 2021 and a building contractor from Spremberg, is counting on her for the successful development of skilled trades in southern Brandenburg: "Only through a team of volunteers and professionals can future challenges be mastered. I have come to appreciate Manja Bonin as a strong personality. She is a reliable and constructive colleague."

Source: Chamber of Crafts Cottbus

Background: The 53 Chambers of Skilled Crafts in Germany are managed by both honorary and full-time staff. The top positions are held by presidents and managing directors. Currently, Anja Obermann leads the Chamber of Skilled Crafts in Rheinessen, Christiane Nowottny leads the Chamber of Skilled Crafts in Reutlingen , and Manja Bonin will lead the Chamber of Skilled Crafts in Cottbus starting in January 2024. As of December 1, 2023, the honorary presidents of the Chambers of Skilled Crafts are Corina Reifenstein in Cottbus, Susanne Haus at the Chamber of Skilled Crafts in Frankfurt am Main, and Carola Zarth in Berlin. Zarth, a certified automotive business administrator, also serves on the executive board of the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH) on behalf of the chambers. On the federation side, master hairdresser Manuela Härtelt-Dören also serves on the ZDH executive board.

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