Marianne Heiss - Biography
At a time when supervisory boards and management committees need to provide guidance more than ever, Marianne Heiss has a clear message: the future is a management task. She is one of Europe’s most influential supervisory board members, combining operational excellence with strategic vision.
Marianne Heiss has had a significant impact on the international economy. For almost three decades, she held various management positions at BBDO worldwide: first as CFO Europe, where she was responsible for 18 countries, and later as the first woman at the helm of BBDO Group Germany as CEO. She led the group to top positions in the communications industry, increased customer satisfaction by 30% and raised the proportion of women in top management from 10% to 45%. Under her leadership, the agency group achieved the best results in its corporate history and received multiple awards for innovation and ESG excellence.
Her current role: top supervisory board member and strategic advisor in international corporations.
Marianne Heiss has been a member of the supervisory boards of Audi AG and Porsche SE (as an ESG expert) since 2018. She also sits on the supervisory boards of Paysafe and PALFINGER AG and is a member of the advisory board of Ritter Sport. She was chair of the audit committee at Flix SE and, from 2018 to 2025, was also a member of the supervisory board and audit committee of Volkswagen AG. She is an honorary representative for philanthropy and partnerships for Unicef because she is convinced that only by combining the collective power of business, society and politics can we succeed in creating positive change and shaping a sustainable, liveable future.
Why Marianne Heiss is in demand as a keynote speaker
Marianne Heiss does not talk about transformation from a distance – she has lived and steered it. As a speaker, she provides clear guidance, precise analyses and practical options for action. Companies and supervisory boards value her ability to present complex developments in an understandable way and to identify concrete solutions.
Marianne Heiss’ core topics
- Value-adding supervisory board work in times of crisis and change
- Leadership & change in times of ongoing geopolitical crises
- ESG & diversity as drivers of value and growth
- Transformation into a new world order through technological, economic and geopolitical shifts
- Rituals and brands as points of reference in uncertain times
Thought leader & author
In addition to her supervisory board work, Marianne Heiss is the author of several books, including ‘YES SHE CAN – Die Zukunft des Managements ist weiblich’ and ‘Strategisches Kostenmanagement in der Praxis’. Since 2024, she has been hosting the business podcast VOICES, in which she discusses future issues with key leaders from business, politics, art and culture.
Personality & Impact
Born in Austria, she studied economics and management with a focus on corporate accounting and auditing. She is considered a thought leader in sustainability, diversity and modern corporate governance. She has been voted one of the top 100 women in German and Austrian business several times, and the Handelsblatt newspaper has described her as one of the most powerful supervisory board members in Germany.
Her keynotes provide an effective and extraordinary toolkit for the future: well-founded, inspiring and consistently practical.