Hattmannsdorfer leaves with "a laughing and a crying eye"

According to Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer, the offer that Chamber of Commerce President Harald Mahrer approached him with a few weeks ago was as “surprising as it was attractive”. As reported, the 44-year-old Social Affairs Minister will move to Vienna on January 1, 2025 and succeed 67-year-old Karlheinz Kopf as Secretary General of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce.

In a press conference called at short notice with Governor Thomas Stelzer (VP), Hattmannsdorfer explained this morning that he was leaving “with mixed feelings”. He had not made the decision lightly, but ultimately the position was exactly where he felt he could make the best possible impact: “The combination of politics, management and business” is what makes the work as WKO Secretary General so special.

“An Upper Austrian at the interface”

With Hattmannsdorfer, a “highly successful member is leaving the Upper Austrian state government,” said Governor Stelzer. Since his swearing-in in 2021, the state councilor has proven “that a member of the People’s Party is in good hands in the world of social policy.” Hattmannsdorfer has “achieved outstanding work” in the areas of integration, care and location policy.

Stelzer is positive about the fact that an Upper Austrian will now sit “at one of the most important interfaces between politics and business”, because we are in “economically challenging times”.

It is also certain that Hattmannsdorfer will have a seat in parliament after the National Council elections on September 29. Tomorrow’s federal party executive committee will decide on a place on the federal election list for Hattmannsdorfer, said Stelzer. This is not surprising, as the office of general secretary is traditionally linked to a National Council mandate.

It is anything but certain who will take over the social affairs department in Upper Austria in the future. Stelzer admitted that he “already has a candidate who he will propose for discussion at tomorrow’s state party executive committee meeting.” Until then, he does not want to get involved in any speculation.