Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg is a German businessman and politician of the Christian Social Union.He is a member of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and the chairman and a founder of Spitzberg Partners, an advisory and investment firm.

Guttenberg served as minister of economics and technology and then as minister of defense in the cabinet of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

As the youngest defense minister in German history, he led the most significant structural reform of the German armed forces since the Bundeswehr's founding.

Guttenberg was a Christian Social Union member of the German Parliament and spokesman for its foreign affairs committee. He served as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and secretary-general of the CSU.

Guttenberg is a distinguished statesman at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington and senior advisor to the European Commission leadership on global Internet freedom. He also advises governments and companies on European and international economic, political, technology and security issues.

He is the Chairman and Founder of Spitzberg Partners, advisory and investment firm. The firm assists financial services and technology companies in navigating today’s increasingly complex political, business, and regulatory environments abroad. Combining top-level political leadership experience with directed vision into and nuanced understanding of today’s challenges, Spitzberg Partners supports the international growth and business development efforts of its clients.

Additionally, Spitzberg Partners actively invests in companies in the technology sector - ranging from fintech (blockchain) to cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, or big data analytics.

Guttenberg holds a law degree from the University of Bayreuth.