School and profession
- born: 5 August 1973 in Essen
- religious confession: Roman-Catholic
- 1991: vocational extension certificate
- 1991 - 1994: vocational training as an office administrator
- 1994 - 2004: commercial employee at a midsize company in Essen
July 1995 - May 1996: military service in Essen at Fernmelderegiment 990 (telecommunication regiment)
Political career
- since 1989: member of the CDU
- 1993 - 1997: county chairman of Junge Union Essen
- 1994 - 1999: Member of district representation IV - Essen-Borbeck, deputy spokesman of CDU-parliamentary group
- 1996 - 2002: district chairman of Junge Union Ruhrgebiet
- since 1999: Member of the Council of the City of Essen
- 1999 - 2009: chairman of the Youth Welfare Committee of the Council of the City of Essen
- 2000 - 2005: delegate of the Landtag (state parliament) North Rhine-Westphalia
- 2002 - 2005: Member of the party executive of the CDU state parliament faction and spokesman for migration policy
- 2005 - 2010: commissioner for integration of state government North Rhine-Westphalia
- 2005 - 2010: chairman of North Rhine-Westphalia's state advisory council for matters of displaced people, refugees and late resettlers
- 2005 - 2011: Deputy chairman of CDU Essen
- since 2006: Deputy chairman of the board of foundation "Zentrum für Türkeistudien und Integrationsforschung" (ZFTI) in Essen
- since 2006: Deputy chairman of CDU Ruhrgebiet district
- 2009 - 2015: chairman of CDU-parliamentary group at the Council of the City of Essen
- 2010 - 2012: project officer of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. in Berlin
- 2012 - Oct. 20th 2015: Member of Parliament of the state parliament North Rhine-Westphalia; spokesman for energy issues of the CDU state parliament faction; member of the party executive of the CDU state parliament faction
- since 2014: member of CDU NRW state executive
- since 2015: member of board of trustees of the SOUL OF AFRICA museum Essen
- since 21 October 2015: Lord Mayor of the City of Essen