** Find more news, highlights from past events, and save-the-dates as you scroll down!** | | Summer Letter from the President | | |
Dear members, partners, and friends,
Before many of you are heading into a well-deserved summer break, I wanted to take the opportunity for a brief introduction as the new President of the German American Business Council of Boston (GABC) and reflect on the first half of 2025.
Following up on Jan’s message in June, I wholeheartedly thank my predecessor Jan Hartmann, and the GABC Board for their trust and I am looking forward to collaborate with you, our partners and our membership, to advance the GABC’s mission as a non-profit of cultivating German-American business and trade by building meaningful and lasting transatlantic relationships and dialogue.
The first half of 2025 has been marked by transitions & transformative change:
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Transitions across the Atlantic: Both the United States and Germany have seen government transitions, accompanied with new policy priorities (e.g., tariffs, research funding, €500 billion Infrastructure Fund), often with direct implications for our members
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Transformative change: At the same time, rapid technological innovation continues to drive (and will accelerate) the need for transformational change (with change as a ‘steady’ mindset, not a change towards a ‘future steady state’)
In the first half of 2025, we focused our GABC programming on those two themes, often working in collaboration with our esteemed membership organizations.
- The Economic Outlook “What’s next for Germany and the US?” with KPMG and J.P. Morgan and the panel discussion on “Trump’s First 100 Days” at the Goethe-Institute with the Consulate General of Boston focused on how transitions in government in the US and Germany (re-)shape transatlantic relations and what the implications are for businesses
- The International Women’s Day Event on Women in Tech, the 3rd Boston Radionuclide Theranostics Forum with Eckert & Ziegler, the Life Sciences fireside chat during BIO at the Goethe-Institute with the Consulate General of Boston shed light on how to embrace transformative change through new capabilities and mindsets
- The German-American Economic Forum at EMD Serono on Investing in Innovation in Life Sciences brought together leaders from across the life sciences industry to learn from two worldclass panels how to succeed and adapt to the biotech industry’s headwinds, while building meaningful connections across biotech innovators, investors and enablers – stay tuned for 2026!
- In addition, our Young Professionals have built a vibrant and very engaged community with regular events.
I am looking forward to meeting many of you in person or virtually over the coming months at our events, the German-American community or for a virtual introduction (please reach out at any time via e-mail or LinkedIn).
I want to close my note with my personal GABC story: When I arrived with my family in Boston on what started initially as a one-year employment transfer to Boston, I was looking for ways to keep nurturing bridges to Germany, while building a local network in New England. I came across the GABC and joined the inaugural German American Economic Forum in 2019 to experience exactly that synergistic duality of building bridges and putting down roots. I am committed to work with all of you to create meaningful connectivity through relevant thematic business-targeted forums and social connectivity events to continue building bridges and putting down roots together – leveraging the GABC’s unique legacy as the premier German-American business network in the Greater Boston area and New England.
Have a wonderful summer!
Simon
Simon Alfano
GABC President
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On June 19th, the Board of Directors of the German-American Business Council of Boston announced the election of Simon Alfano as its new President. He succeeds Jan Hartmann, who will continue to serve as a Board member. Read the full press release here as well as the Letter from the outgoing President Jan Hartmann.
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GABC Board members from left to right:
Emily Westhoven, Bodo Liesenfeld, Mridul Agrawal, Simon Alfano, Angelo Moesslang, Jan Hartmann, Jobina Gonsalves, Benjamin Hein, Fiona Mack, Alexander Adam.
Not pictured: Johannes Becker, Michael Haueisen
| | If you missed these events, here are the highlights: | |
BIO Fireside Panel & Reception
As the international biotech community gathered in Boston for the 2025 BIO International Convention, we were honored to co-host with the German Consulate Boston, an exclusive fireside panel discussion. Panelists Martin Madaus (The Carlyle Group), Karen Madden (MilliporeSigma), Jim Meyers (Boston Consulting Group), Paul Vogel (AIRNA) shared their insights on trends in M&A activity, managing uncertainty, expected policy shifts, and technology changes in biotech - both in the U.S. and in the Germany. The event was sponsored by Boston Consulting Group.
More about this event on LinkedIn
| | Lauren Sherman (BCG), Jim Meyers (BCG), Karen Madden (MilliporeSigma), Martin Madaus (Carlyle Group), Paul Vogel (AIRNA) | |
European Summer Networking Event
Our popular annual European-American Business Networking Event was once again a sold-out evening that brought together Boston's international business community. This year the gathering took place at the Back Bay mansion of the French Library.
More about this event on LinkedIn or check out the photo gallery.
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Thüringen Delegation
In May, a delegation of political and business leaders from the German state Thüringen visited Boston. GABC's Emily Westhoven facilitated a conversation with Stefan Traeger, Chairman of the Executive Board, JENOPTIK AG, Matthijs Glastra, Chair & Chief Executive Officer, Novanta, Gabriel Kittler, CEO Erfurt, X-Fab Silicon Foundries and Colette Boos-John, Thuringian Minister for Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Rural Areas to discuss advanced manufacturing.
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Solar Energy Delegation
GABC participated as a local partner in a welcome briefing at the Boston office of the U.S. Department of Commerce for a small Solar Energy delegation from Germany. The delegation then visited Greentown Labs, a leading climatetech and energy incubator. More on LinkedIn.
| | Make sure to follow us on | | | Next Metro West Summer Stammtisch! | | | |
Stammtisch at Jack's Abby
Thursday, July 17th
6:30PM EST
The Metro West GABC Stammtisch meets in Framingham! If you are living or working in Metro West, this is the Stammtisch for you: We are looking forward to seeing you Jack's Abby Beer Hall & Kitchen in Framingham.
| | Other Events in the Community | | Germany Day at the New England Patriots | | | |
Football & Freunde
Sunday, August 10th
Watch Practice, Live Music, Food & Drinks, Games with Prizes, Meet Players & Alumni
| | Save the Date for Fall Events | | Future Forum: Health. Tech. Diplomacy | | |
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Hosted by the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) New York, the FUTURE FORUM is their flagship event, fostering dialogue and establishing lasting networks at the intersection of science, technology, and international collaboration.
More info
In person | The Broad Institute in Cambridge, MA | Monday, September 8, 2025
| | GBANE 2025: Global Trade in Transition | | | | |
Save-the-Date for the 31st Annual International Business Forum & Networking Evening organized by the Global Business Alliance of New England. This year the event will focus on Global Trade in Transition: Leveraging Shifts in Policy, Partnerships and Supply Chains.
More information
In person | Suffolk University in Boston | Tuesday, October 14, 2025 | 5:30PM to 8:30PM
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We will celebrate our Annual Holiday Gala on Friday, December 12th on the 32nd floor of the UMass Club in Downtown Boston overlooking the holiday lights on the Boston Common and the City. The evening includes a champagne reception and a 3-course sit-down dinner. Mingle with members of the GABC Board of Directors and the German American Business community as we close out 2025!
More information
In person | Friday, December 12th, 6:30PM to 11PM
| | The Young Professionals recently launched two events under the GABC banner: a "sportliches" GABC team participated in the Cambridge 5K, and another group enjoyed a classic showdown at Fenway Park, cheering on the "Mets vs. Red Sox" game. | |
GABC Communications & Event Intern
During GABC's busy months of May and June, intern Mia Theermann supported Executive Director Emily Westhoven by contributing to both behind-the-scenes planning and on-the-ground execution of events. Mia assisted with setup, check-in, and ensuring a smooth experience for attendees at our events and helped with drafting LinkedIn posts and event reminder emails, developing visuals for event materials and managing attendee lists. She said she loved being part of the GABC team and is now off on summer travel before heading out for a semester abroad. Best of luck, Mia!
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Furnished Home rental in Winchester MA ($6,000/month) Aug – Dec 2025
A German- American family is traveling for a few months and are renting out their house from August through December. They are offering their home for rent to families who are moving to the Boston area or who want to temporarily relocate due to ongoing construction projects in their homes.
- 5 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, pet-free smoke-free furnished home in central Winchester
- Garage, off-street parking (2 cars), and small yard
- Playroom, mudroom, 2 offices (one is a combined guest room)
- Central air conditioning and exercise spot in basement
- Available mid-August through December (dates are a bit flexible) with the potential to extend
- Internet & water utilities included
- Renters are responsible for electricity, heating and renter's insurance
Families with serious interest, please reach out to Christina at +1 518 312 2313
| | | Biotech layoff tracker: 18 companies cut 1,300 jobs in Q2 2025 | |
Excerpt: "In the second quarter of the year, the Business Journal found that 18 life sciences companies announced layoffs impacting at least 1,300 Massachusetts workers. As always, this number is an undercount, as some companies don't disclose layoffs, or don't say how many employees are impacted.
“The layoff tally for Q2 2025 represents an increase in total job losses compared with the first three months of the year, when 21 biotechs laid off around 1,000 Bay State workers."
| |  | BioNTech to buy former Boston Covid vaccine rival for $1.25B | |
Excerpt: "BioNTech SE is acquiring a vaccine developer with its U.S. headquarters in Boston that had sued it just a few years ago over its Covid-19 patents.
CureVac NV (Nasdaq: CVAC), which is based in Germany but has U.S. headquarters at 250 Summer St., is being acquired in a deal valued at $1.25 billion by BioNTech (Nasdaq: BNTX), according to a deal announcement on Thursday morning."
| | | | Berlin explores €4bn subsidies for German heavy industry | |
Excerpt: "Germany is exploring ways to fund multibillion-euro subsidies for energy-intensive companies as part of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s pledge to boost the competitiveness of the country’s heavy industries.
The measure is part of efforts to reduce electricity costs for industrial groups to revitalise the Eurozone’s largest economy after its longest postwar period of stagnation.
But the plan is at risk after promised electricity tax cuts for households were shelved because of budget constraints."
| | | Bayer: Nach Schließung in Frankfurt sind keine weiteren Werke betroffen | Auszug: "Bei Bayer soll es nach dem Aus für den Standort in Frankfurt bis 2030 in Deutschland keine weiteren Schließungen geben. Der Bayer-Vorstand habe eine Bestandsgarantie für die übrigen Standorte bis 2030 gegeben, teilte Bayer am Donnerstag mit. Diese sei Teil einer gemeinsamen Erklärung mit den Arbeitnehmern zu Standorten und „sozialverträglichen Personalanpassungen“ bei dem Leverkusener Konzernt." | | |
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