Ursula von der Leyen

Ursula von der Leyen is a German medical doctor and politician who has served as the 13th president of the European Commission, since 2019, the first female to be elected into this role. 

Von der Leyen studied Economics at LSE in 1978 through the General Course, and subsequently went on to study medicine with a specialisation in gynaecology in Hanover, becoming a Doctor of Medicine. She later became involved with politics and joined the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). 

In 2003, she was elected to Lower Saxony’s state parliament and was later appointed federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. After the federal election in 2009, she was appointed Minister for Labour and Social Affairs and in 2013 she became Germany’s first female Defence Minister. 

In a speech at LSE in 2020, von der Leyen spoke fondly of her experience at LSE: “The time I spent here opened my eyes. I got to know a warm, vibrant, colourful, multicultural society – the likes of which I had not really experienced before. I saw people from different walks of life going out together, enjoying life, breathing in freedom. I immersed myself in this melting pot of cultures, traditions and music. And I truly fell in love with this city and this country.” 

LSE news article and LSE Brexit Blog