Born in Berlin, he studied at the Technical College for Business. Since 1981, was member of the Social Democratic Party, and since 1996, was a member of the Berlin House of Representatives and also Chairman of the SPD parliamentary group. In 2011, until nowadays, he is the Berlin Mayor and Senator for Urban Development and the Environment. Some of his membership in organisations and associations are: Arbeiterwohlfahrt Bundesverband e.V. / AWO (Workers’ Welfare Association); Berliner Wirtschaftsgespräche (organisation for economic policy debates); Sozialdemokratische Gemeinschaft für Kommunalpolitik/SGK (Social Democratic association for municipal policy).