Kai Whittaker
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Kai Whittaker (born 10 April 1985) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and member of the
Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the lower house of the Germany, German Federalism in Germany, federal parliament. It is the only constitutional body of the federation directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag wa ...
since 2013.


Education and early career

Born in
Baden-Baden Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...
to a British father and German mother, Whittaker completed his
Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...
at the ''Markgraf-Ludwig-Gymnasium'' in 2004. Following his ''
Zivildienst Zivildienst is the German denomination for the alternative civilian service for conscripted persons who are conscientious objectors to fulfill their national service, typically in the fields of social work (e.g. hospitals, retirement homes, eme ...
'', he studied Economics and Management at the
University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...
, graduating in 2008. After a year working for
Leoni AG Leoni AG, based in Nuremberg, Germany, is a cable and harnessing manufacturing firm with branches throughout the world. It is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and is a member of the mid-cap MDAX index, and is claimed as global leader of c ...
, Whittaker then pursued a master's degree in European Political Economy at the
London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...
, graduating in 2010. Between 2011 and 2013, he worked for
Herrenknecht Herrenknecht AG is a German company that manufactures tunnel boring machines (TBMs). Headquartered in Allmannsweier, Schwanau, Baden-Württemberg, it is the worldwide market leader for heavy TBMs. Established by Martin Herrenknecht in 1975, the ...
.


Political career

Whittaker was directly elected to the Bundestag in 2013 with 53.5% of the vote in the
Rastatt Rastatt () is a town with a Baroque core, District of Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain on the Murg river, above its junction with the Rhine and has a population of around 51,000 (2022). Rastatt was an ...
district. He has since been a member of the Committee on Labor and Social Affairs, serving as his parliamentary group's
rapporteur A rapporteur is a person who is appointed by an organization to report on the proceedings of its meetings. The term is a French-derived word. For example, Dick Marty was appointed ''rapporteur'' by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Eur ...
on public procurement, social welfare and the effects of digitization of work. In 2018, he also joined the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Sustainable Development.


Positions

In June 2017, Whittaker voted against his parliamentary group's majority and in favor of Germany's introduction of
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
. Ahead of the
2021 Christian Democratic Union of Germany leadership election 2021 Christian Democratic Union of Germany leadership election may refer to: * January 2021 Christian Democratic Union of Germany leadership election * December 2021 Christian Democratic Union of Germany leadership election {{Short pages monit ...
, Whittaker publicly endorsed
Norbert Röttgen Norbert Alois Röttgen (born 2 July 1965) is a German lawyer and politician who served as Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2009 to 2012. A member of t ...
to succeed
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (; Kramp; born 9 August 1962), sometimes referred to by her initials of AKK, is a retired German politician who served as Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany), Minister of Defence from 2019 to 2021 and as Leader of th ...
as the party’s chair. He is a member of the ''Union der Mitte'', a centrist caucus of the CDU.


References

Living people 1985 births Members of the Bundestag for Baden-Württemberg People from Baden-Baden German people of British descent Members of the Bundestag 2013–2017 Members of the Bundestag 2017–2021 Members of the Bundestag 2021–2025 Members of the Bundestag for the Christian Democratic Union of Germany People associated with the London School of Economics Alumni of the University of Bristol Members of the Bundestag 2025–2029 {{Germany-CDU-politician-stub