DIHK: Melnikov is new Managing Director

2025 will be a “very decisive year” for Germany as a business location, emphasizes Helena Melnikov. As the new Managing Director of the DIHK, she has a clear opinion on what now needs to happen at a political level.

Helena Melnikov took over as Managing Director of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) at the turn of the year. The 43-year-old fully qualified lawyer is the successor to Martin Wansleben, who retired on 31 December 2024 after 23 years at the helm of the IHK umbrella organization. This is the first time that the country's largest business organization has been led by a woman.

“2025 will be a very decisive year for Germany as a business location,” says Melnikov at the start of her new role, which comes at a difficult time. Many companies are expecting fresh impetus for economic policy, and not just in the wake of the Bundestag elections. “The new EU Commission must also gear its work program towards a noticeable reduction in bureaucracy and consistently focus on the competitiveness of our economy,” says the new DIHK Managing Director.

Before joining the DIHK, Melnikov was Managing Director of the German Bundesverband Materialwirtschaft, Einkauf und Logistik (BME), headquartered in Eschborn, until the end of 2024, where she had also been a member of the Executive Board since 2021. Prior to that, she was Managing Director of the Waren-Verein der Hamburger Börse between 2014 and 2021.

On the occasion of the change, DIHK President Peter Adrian recognised the commitment of the previous DIHK Managing Director Martin Wansleben for the German economy in the political arena in Berlin, Brussels and around the world. The economist had “built bridges with great commitment” both domestically and at European and international level.

Featured photo: DIHK/Werner Schuering