Kern, Christian (Austria)

Christian Kern was born 4 Jan. 1966 in Vienna. He graduated in journalism and communication from the University of Vienna, then completed his postgraduate studies at the Management Zentrum St Gallen in Switzerland. In 1989 he began working as a business journalist. A member of the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), he entered politics in the early 1990s as an assistant to the Federal Chancellery’s undersecretary of state for the civil service.

In 1997 Kern joined Austria’s largest electricity supplier, Verbund AG, and soon rose through the ranks to join its management board. In 2010 he was appointed CEO of Austria’s federal railway operator. He won praise for improving industrial relations and strengthening the company finances. He was named chairman of the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies in 2014, working to help shape European Union...