Thomas Drozda Appointed New Federal Managing Director of Austrian Social Democratic Party
The former cultural manager, who was brought back into politics by Chancellor Christian Kern, will accompany the new party leader, Pamela Rendi-Wagner, as Federal Managing Director of the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ).
Upper Austrian Thomas Drozda Appointed New Federal Managing Director of SPÖ / Picture: © SPÖ Parlamentsklub / BKA / Hans Hofer
Drozda has already acquired political experience in his early years. The married Upper Austrian ran a publishing house for socialist youth, worked for the National Bank and served as economic and cultural policy advisor to the SPÖ under Federal Chancellor Franz Vranitzky and Viktor Klima from 1993, before the graduate in business administration and economics moved to the Burgtheater in 1998 for a decade as commercial director. Afterwards he was in charge of the Vereinigte Bühnen and thus of Theater an der Wien and Ronacher.
For several years he represented the Social Democrats on the ORF Foundation Board.
Christian Kern brought him back into politics in 2016, although he actually wished to make an effort to lead the Vereinigte Bühnen. Apparently the leadership of the Chancellor's Office and the associated coordination of the red-black government work was attractive enough for a change of plans - all the more as Drozda also gained the cultural agendas.
Drozda and Rendi-Wagner have a good relationship. Drozda's head of cabinet in the ministry was Ambassador Michael Rendi, husband of the designated SPÖ leader.
Max Lercher, the former and now dismissed federal managing director, told journalists: "I'm fine. Good decisions had been made for the benefit of the party. The new chairwoman has the power of nomination and the authority to form a team."
By filling the two top positions of the SPÖ with more elitist educated candidates, the party is positioning itself more in the direction of the political centre and is therefore not necessarily sending signals to the former core electorate.
| Curriculum Vitae: | |
| Date of Birth: | July 24, 1965 (Kematen an der Krems, Upper Austria) |
| Education: | |
| Studied Business Administration and Economics at the Johannes Kepler University Linz |
|
| Career History: | |
| 1991 | Managing director of the Trotzdem publishing house |
| 1992 | Staff member in the Department of Economic Studies of the Austrian National Bank |
| 1998 |
Commercial Managing Director of the Burgtheater |
| Since 2004 |
Member of the Supervisory Board of Theater Service GmbH |
| Since 2007 |
Member of the Board of Trustees of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (Österreichischer Rundfunk) |
| Since 2008 |
Managing Director of Vereinigte Bühnen Wien |
| Since 2009 |
President of the Vienna Stage Association |
| Political Career: | |
| 1993-1998 | Economic policy advisor to the Federal Government in the areas of budget, finance, social affairs, youth, family and, from 1996, also in the areas of art and culture |
| May 25, 2016 - Dec. 18, 2017 | Chancellery Minister (responsible for Art and Culture, Constitution and Media) |
| Since Dec. 18, 2017 | Member of the National Council (MP) |
| Since Sept. 25, 2018 | Managing Director the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) |
| Family Status: |
Married |
Source:
SPÖ Parlamentsklub: https://klub.spoe.at/person/thomas-drozda