
Prof. Dr. Ralph Bergold
Chairman of the Board
born in 1958,
is director of the Catholic Social Institute of the Archdiocese of Cologne in Siegburg,
Private lecturer for religious education studies at the University of Bamberg,
Visiting professor at the Cologne University for Catholic Theology – St. Augustin,
Assistant lecturer at the University of Bonn,
Member of the board of the Cardinal Höffner Foundation.
Since September 2013 he is chairman of the board of Ordo socialis
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Since September 2013 he is chairman of the board of Ordo socialis

Dr. Matthias Belafi
vice chairman
born 1977, studied political science, public law and modern and contemporary history in Bonn and Munich
2003-2007 Research Assistant at the Center for Applied Policy Research (CAP), Munich and Junior Fellow at the Center for European Integration Studies (ZEI), Bonn
2007-2011 Executive Director of the Commission for Societal and Social Issues of the German Bishops’ Conference (VI), Bonn
2010-2011 Assistant lecturer at the Research Institute for Political Science and European Affairs, University of Cologne
since 2018 Head of Division in the State Chancellery of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf
Member of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK),
Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Cologne Forum for International Relations and Security Policy (KFIBS)

Andree Brüning
born in 1970,
the trained merchant and theologian is managing director of anders.beraten GmbH in Aachen,
Lecturer for business ethics at the Hochschule Niederrhein in Mönchengladbach,
Member of the Bund Katholischer Unternehmer and member of the board of the DG Aachen since 2008,
Member of the Board of the Wirtschaftsrat Aachen.
Since November 2019 he has been a permanent representative of the BKU and a member of the board of Ordo socialis

Cornelius Georg Fetsch
born on 12. 10. 1935 in Mannheim,
Father of four children
Textile merchant
Management positions at C. & A. at home and abroad
1979 – 1993 Federal Chairman of the Federation of Catholic Entrepreneurs (BKU)
Founding member of Ordo socialis
Various honorary offices in the church area
Member of the German Order (OT)

Dr. Thomas Köster
vice chairman
28.10.1946 born in Menden/NRW as the son of the master furrier Karl Georg Köster and his wife Marianne Köster née Schewe/röm.-kath.
1966 Abitur at the humanistic branch of the Walram-Gymnasium, Menden/Sauerland
1966 – 1972 Studies of economics at the University of Cologne with a degree in economics
05.11.1968-31.10.1969 1st Chairman of the ASTA of the University of Cologne and member of the Senate of the University of Cologne
since 1972 married to Beate Köster née Schlombs, three children
1984 Doctorate (Dr. rer. pol.) from the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Cologne
since 01.07.1972 work for the trade in various functions:
1980 Election as managing director and
1983 Elected Deputy General Manager of the Düsseldorf Chamber of Trade
1984 – 2010 Managing Director of the North Rhine-Westphalian Handwerkstag and its predecessor organisation
2004 to 2011 Managing Director of the Düsseldorf Chamber of Trade
since 2008 Head of the Social Market Economy Competence Centre of the Düsseldorf Chamber of Skilled Crafts and the North Rhine-Westphalian Association of Skilled Crafts (NWHT)
Numerous newspaper and magazine publications
Voluntary functions:
Chairman of the Applications and Policy Commission of the CDU-NRW Medium-Sized Business and Economic Association and member of the managing state board of MIT NRW
Member of the Board of Directors of the Rhine-Westphalian Institute for Economic Research (RWI), Essen
Member of the Advisory Board of the Finance Research Institute at the University of Cologne
Member of the board of ORDO SOCIALIS e.V., Cologne
Awards and more:
2008 Order of Merit of the State of NRW
2011 Honorary ring of the HWK Düsseldorf
2012 Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Dr. h.c. Josef Thesing
1937 born in Alstätte, district Borken, catholic, married, 3 children
1961-1964 Studied political science at the University of Applied Sciences, Munich
1965 Employee of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. (KAS), St. Augustin/Bonn
1966-1973 Representative of KAS in Guatemala and Colombia
1978 Founder and Director of the Office for International Cooperation of the KAS
1984-2000 Head of the International Institute of the KAS
2000-2002 Deputy Secretary General of the KAS
1990-2005 Assistant lecturer at the University of Cologne
Since 1991 Member of the German-Polish Society Cologne-Bonn, including 1998-2000 Managing Director, 2005-2007 Chairman, since 2007 Chairman of the Board of Trustees
1996 co-founder of the Association for the Promotion of the Museum of Jewish History, since 2005 chairman;
since 2005 vice chairman of Ordo Socialis e.V.
Josef Thesing has published more than 70 books as author and/or editor in 21 languages.
He has received numerous high foreign awards, e.g. honorary doctorate and honorary professorship from the Catholic University Rafael Landivar, Guatemala; honorary doctorate from the University of Economics in Prague and the Catholic University in Córdoba, Argentina. In 2008 he was awarded the Grand Cross of Merit of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by President Köhler

Peter van den Brock
Treasurer
Peter van den Brock, born in 1942, worked for the Catholic Pax-Bank, based in Cologne, in various positions from 1957 until his retirement in 2007 – most recently as Director and Head of Asset Management.
During his 50 years at Pax-Bank he was a member of various investment committees
and has advised numerous institutional as well as private clients on their investments.
Peter van den Brock has also established and managed foundations with great passion in his function as foundation officer and board member of the Pax-Bank Foundation.
Since retiring in 2007, he has been a member of the board of a microfinance consulting company based in Belgium. The aim of the company is to further develop the idea of microfinance and to tap into the potential of church clients with products. Since then, the trained banker has also been active as a speaker in the areas of ethical investment and foundations.
Since September 2013 the treasurer of Ordo socialis.

Dr. Arnd Küppers
Managing Director of the Scientific Advisory Board
Born 1973, married, two children
Studied Catholic theology, philosophy and law in Bielefeld, Bonn and Freiburg i.Br.
2001 Diploma in Catholic Theology in Bonn with the title “With distinction
2001-2003 Research assistant to Prof. Dr. U. Nothelle-Wildfeuer (chair representative) at the Chair for Christian Social Studies at the Catholic Theological Faculty of the University of Bonn
2003-2010 Research Assistant to Prof. Dr. U. Nothelle-Wildfeuer at the Chair for Christian Social Studies at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Freiburg i.Br.
2007 Doctorate (Dr. theol.) at the Theological Faculty of the University of Freiburg i.Br. with the title “Summa cum laude
2007 Awarded the Bernhard World Prize of the Faculty of Theology Freiburg, donated by the Archbishop’s Ordinariate Freiburg, for the dissertation “Justice in the modern working society and collective bargaining autonomy
Since 09/2010Scientific advisor and deputy director of the Catholic Social Science Central Office in Mönchengladbach
Since 2019 Managing Director of the Scientific Advisory Board of Ordo socialis
Studied Catholic theology, philosophy and law in Bielefeld, Bonn and Freiburg i.Br.
2001 Diploma in Catholic Theology in Bonn with the title “With distinction
2001-2003 Research assistant to Prof. Dr. U. Nothelle-Wildfeuer (chair representative) at the Chair for Christian Social Studies at the Catholic Theological Faculty of the University of Bonn
2003-2010 Research Assistant to Prof. Dr. U. Nothelle-Wildfeuer at the Chair for Christian Social Studies at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Freiburg i.Br.
2007 Doctorate (Dr. theol.) at the Theological Faculty of the University of Freiburg i.Br. with the title “Summa cum laude
2007 Awarded the Bernhard World Prize of the Faculty of Theology Freiburg, donated by the Archbishop’s Ordinariate Freiburg, for the dissertation “Justice in the modern working society and collective bargaining autonomy
Since 09/2010Scientific advisor and deputy director of the Catholic Social Science Central Office in Mönchengladbach
Since 2019 Managing Director of the Scientific Advisory Board of Ordo socialis

Lars Schäfers
Secretary General
1988 born in Wuppertal, married
2010-2016 Studies of Catholic Theology in Bonn (Magister)
2016 Awarded the Faculty Prize for the best final thesis of the theological studies in the academic year 2015/16 for the Magister thesis
4/2016-12/2017 Editor at the Publishing House for Taxes, Law and Economics in Bonn (main job)
1/2013-2/2020 Deputy editor-in-chief of the online magazine f1rstlife (part-time job).
Since 2017 Doctoral studies in the subject of theological ethics
Since 11/2017 research assistant at the Seminar for Christian Social Teaching of the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Bonn (part-time job)
Since 02/2018 Research assistant at the Catholic Social Science Central Office in Mönchengladbach (main activity).
Since 2021 Secretary General of Ordo socialis