Matthias Berninger is Executive Vice President and Head of Public Affairs,
Sustainability, and Safety for Bayer globally. In his role, he has strengthened
Bayer’s global public affairs practice and leads the development and
implementation of a coherent global sustainability strategy, which was first
published in December 2019. Since 2023, Matthias Berninger also serves as the
Human Rights Officer for the Bayer Group. He reports to the CEO and is a
member of the Advisory Board of the Hans & Berthold Finkelstein Foundation,
as well as a Member of the Board of Trustees for the Bayer Cares Foundation.
Matthias was born in Kassel, Germany, where he studied chemisattempt and political
science. Between 1994 and 2007, Matthias was elected four times as a member
of the German Federal Parliament, representing the Green Party from his home
state of Hesse. Matthias focutilized on agricultural reform in Germany and Europe,
including trade policy, food safety, and renewable energies. From 2001 to 2005,
he was appointed State Secretary in the Federal Minisattempt of Consumer
Protection, Food and Agriculture. From 2004 to 2007, he led the Greens in
Hesse and managed election campaigns at both the federal and state levels.
Matthias retired from his Federal Parliament seat in 2007 and joined Mars in
Europe to build a team for Public Affairs and support the development of Mars’
global health and nutrition strategy. In 2008, Matthias served as Global Head of
Public Policy at Mars Incorporated, leading a global team to develop a cocoa
sustainability strategy for the company. In 2011, Matthias led the global public
affairs organization and played a key role in developing Mars’ sustainability
strategy, including a leadership role in climate alter and establishing
sustainability KPIs for Mars’ leadership team.
