Walter Riester

Walter Riester trained as a tiler and passed his master craftsman's examination in 1969. He attended the Academy of Labor in Frankfurt am Main until 1970 and then worked as a youth secretary at the DGB regional district of Baden-Württemberg until 1977. He then worked at the IG Metall administrative office in Geislingen an der Steige. From 1980 to 1988, Walter Riester was District Secretary of the IG Metall district of Baden-Württemberg and then succeeded Ernst Eisenmann as District Director of IG Metall Baden-Württemberg. He was second chairman of IG Metall until 1998 and a member of the supervisory boards of various German companies between 1993 and 1998. Walter Riester is a member of the Bundestag and also works as a consultant for various companies in the financial services sector. He is also a member of the supervisory board of ArcelorMittal Bremen. In 2009, he became a member of the Supervisory Board of the financial services provider Union Asset Management Holding. Even after his active time in the Bundestag, Walter Riester is still involved in all social security issues, particularly in the area of pensions, but also on issues relating to international social security systems.