Rudolf Scholten

Rudolf Scholten, Vienna 2010.

Rudolf Scholten (full name Rudolf Gerhard Hubertus Maria Scholten , born November 3, 1955 in Vienna ) was a member of the Management Board from 1997 to the end of July 2016, and from January 2014 to his departure, Director General of Oesterreichische Kontrollbank AG (OeKB) and from 1990 to 1997 As Minister of the Republic of Austria, the country's influential cultural politician. Scholten is President of the Bruno Kreisky Forum and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Wiener Festwochen , since December 1, 2007, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Austrian Film Institute (ÖFI) and a member of the Executive Committee of the Bilderberg Conference .

biography

Rudolf Scholten grew up at the forest estate of his parents Sophie (née Countess van der Straten-Ponthoz ) and Gerhard Scholten in Eggern in the Waldviertel until he started school . In 1973 he graduated from the Schottengymnasium in Vienna, then studied law and economics at the University of Vienna . In 1978 he received his doctorate in law. Joined the Oesterreichische Kontrollbank (OeKB) 1976–1983, in the secretariat of the Board of Directors with international finance until 1983, 1983 USA - New York, Morgan Stanley , Morgan Guaranty: International finance, return to the Oesterreichische Kontrollbank 1984.

From 1984–1986 Scholten was the economic policy secretary of the then Federal Minister of Finance, Franz Vranitzky , and after the appointment of Franz Vranitzky as Federal Chancellor 1986–1988 economic and cultural policy advisor in the Federal Chancellery. 1988–1990 he was Secretary General of the Austrian Federal Theater Association, and from 1990 to 1997 Federal Minister of the Republic of Austria. In the Vranitzky III cabinet , Scholten was Federal Minister for Education and the Arts (1990–1994), and in the Vranitzky IV cabinet, Federal Minister for Science, Research and the Arts (1994–1996). In the Vranitzky V cabinet he finally became Federal Minister for Science, Transport and Art (1996–1997). After Vranitzky's resignation, Rudolf Scholten also left the federal government.

In 1997 Rudolf Scholten became a member of the board of the Oesterreichische Kontrollbank, chairman of the supervisory board of Acredia Versicherung AG (with the brands OeKB Versicherung and PRISMA Die Kreditversicherung), Oesterreichische Entwicklungsbank AG and the "Österreichischer Exportfonds" GmbH.

Rudolf Scholten's entry into OeKB was overshadowed by the suicide of one of the two board members, Gerhard Praschak . In a letter sent to many print media, Praschak raised allegations of political intervention in favor of Scholten, for example the enlargement of the board of directors to three people. After Praschak's suicide, his post was not filled. Scholten's colleague on the OeKB board was Johannes Attems until the end of 2013 , and Angelika Sommer-Hemetsberger has been on the board since 2014. Scholten has held the title of General Director since January 1, 2014.

Rudolf Scholten has been President of the Bruno Kreisky Forum since 2004, and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Wiener Festwochen since 2005 .

In 2006 he founded the literature festival Literatur im Nebel in Heidenreichstein together with the writer Robert Schindel . Every year a world-famous writer is the focus of the meeting, who is then also personally present. So far these have been Salman Rushdie (2006), Amos Oz (2007), Jorge Semprún (2008) and Margaret Atwood (2009) Herta Müller (2018) John M. Coetzee (2019).

In October 2007 the incumbent Minister for Education, Art and Culture, Claudia Schmied , announced Scholten's appointment as chairman of the supervisory board of the Austrian Film Institute , which has the task of financially promoting Austrian film. Scholten took over this function on January 1, 2008.

In January 2010, Scholten was appointed deputy chairman of the supervisory board of the emergency nationalized Hypo Group Alpe Adria . At the Annual General Meeting on May 23, 2014, he resigned from this position.

Political career

• 1984–1986 Federal Ministry of Finance: Economic Policy Advisor
• 1986–1988 Cabinet of the Federal Chancellor: Economic and cultural policy advisor
• 1988–1990 Secretary General of the Austrian Federal Theater Association
• 1990–1994 Federal Minister for Education and the Arts
• 1994–1996 Federal Minister for Science, Research and the Arts
• 1996–1997 Federal Minister for Science, Transport and Art

Private

Rudolf Scholten has been married to the cardiologist Christine since 1990. The couple has three daughters.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Rudolf Gerhard Hubertus Maria Scholten on thepeerage.com , accessed on October 4, 2015.
2. ↑ 58th "Bilderberg" Conference: The Secret of Sitges Die Presse, June 5, 2010 (accessed June 9, 2010)
3. ↑ Sophie Countess van der Straten-Ponthoz on thepeerage.com , accessed on October 4, 2015.
4. ↑ Ditz is to become the head of the Hypo supervisory board, Scholten vice-president on ORF from January 18, 2010, accessed on January 18, 2010
5. ↑ New supervisory board for Hypo Alpe Adria - Salzburger Nachrichten of May 23, 2014 (accessed on January 2, 2015)

Web links

Commons : Rudolf Scholten  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Rudolf Scholten on the website of the Austrian Parliament
• Rudolf Scholten. In: dasrotewien.at - Web dictionary of the Viennese social democracy. SPÖ Vienna (Ed.)
• Archive recordings with Rudolf Scholten in the online archive of the Austrian Media Library (award ceremonies, radio broadcasts)