New Chief Economist: Sonja Marten to succeed Michael Holstein
Sonja Marten (51) will become DZ BANK Chief Economist as of 1 January 2026. She succeeds Michael Holstein (60), who, at his own request, will return to his previous role as Head of the Economics Department. In her new position, Sonja Marten will be responsible for macroeconomic and capital market forecasts and will present them outside the Bank. The 51-year-old was previously Head of the Foreign Exchange and Monetary Policy Group at DZ BANK Research for five years. "Sonja Marten, a proven capital market expert, will be the new Chief Economist. She is very familiar with global monetary policy and the currency and interest rate markets. For year, she has proven with accurate forecasts," says Jan Holthusen. Marten will report directly to him in future.
Before joining the Cooperative Central Institution in 2008, the graduate economist first worked at what is now BNP Paribas and then at Dresdner Bank in Frankfurt am Main and London. Sonja Marten studied economics and finance in Brussels and Warwick. "I am delighted that we have found an internal successor for Michael Holstein in Sonja Marten. She has a great deal of international expertise and is well networked. This helps to correctly assess global developments and events, which increasingly have a direct impact on Germany, and supports the Bank's future international activities. Our most important customers - the Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken - also benefit from this," Jan Holthusen stresses.
The previous Chief Economist Michael Holstein is returning, at his own request, to his previous position as Head of the Economics Department. "Michael Holstein was Chief Economist at our Bank for five years. I would like to thank him warmly for his commitment and look forward to continuing to work with him," Jan Holthusen said.
