Andreas Geisel

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Andreas Geisel (born 1 March 1966) is a German politician from the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He has held several senior roles in Berlin’s state government. From December 2021 to April 2023 he served as Berlin’s Senator for Urban Development, Construction and Housing. Before that, he was Senator for Interior and Sport (2016–2021) and Senator for Urban Development and Environment (2014–2016). Earlier in his career he was the Mayor of the Berlin district of Lichtenberg (2011–2014) and a member of the Berlin state parliament (Abgeordnetenhaus).

Early life and education
Geisel was born in East Berlin in 1966. He attended a polytechnic secondary school in East Berlin and, after a stint as a telecommunications technician, studied economics at the College of Transportation Friedrich List in Dresden (1986–1990). He then worked for Deutsche Telekom in Berlin (1990–1992) and later as a consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers (1994–1995). After German reunification, he joined the SPD. In the GDR, he had been a member of the SED.

Political career
Geisel began his local political career as a borough councillor in Lichtenberg in 1995, serving until 2000 and again after redistricting in the borough of Lichtenberg-Hohenschönhausen. In the 2009 national elections, he ran for the Bundestag in the Lichtenberg constituency and finished in second place with 18.4% of the vote. On 10 November 2011, he was elected Mayor of Lichtenberg with the support of the CDU and the Greens, a position he held until his appointment to the Berlin Senate in 2014.

In 2014, Geisel was appointed Berlin’s Senator for Urban Development and Environment under Governing Mayor Michael Müller. After the 2016 Berlin state election, he remained in the Senate with the portfolio of Interior and Sport. As a member of the Bundesrat, he served on the Committee on Internal Affairs and the Defence Committee. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he caused controversy by alleging that U.S. agents diverted a shipment of face masks intended for German police; the claims were not proven. In 2021, he dissolved Jama’atu Berlin, a Salafist group, saying it promoted terrorism. Following the 2021 Berlin state election, he became Senator for Urban Development, Construction and Housing in the new Senate led by Franziska Giffey.

Other activities
- Berlin School of Economics and Law (HWR), Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2017)
- Olympiastadion Berlin, Member of the Supervisory Board (since 2016)
- German Forum for Crime Prevention (DFK), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2016)
- Business Forum of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Member of the Political Advisory Board
- Friends of Mies van der Rohe Haus, Member

Personal details
Geisel was born in East Berlin, East Germany, and is a member of the SPD. His career has focused on urban development, housing, interior security, and regional administration in Berlin.