Petra Roth was born in Bremen in 1944. She began her political career 1973 in Frankfurt, where she served as Honorary Social Services Ombudsman for a local district. She retained that position for 15 years. From 1977 to 1989 Mrs. Roth served as a representative for the Welfare Organization of Hesse. She was a member in the Frankfurt City Council, serving as Chairperson of the Sports Committee. In 1993, Mrs. Roth took on the role of Speaker of the Frankfurt City Council. From 1987 to 1995 she was a member of the State Parliament of Hesse, winning three elections in her constituency. From 1990 to 1998 she served as a member of the Executive Board of the CDU in Hesse. She became Chair of the Frankfurt CDU in 1992, a position she held until 1995. She was the first Frankfurt Mayor to be directly elected and took office on July 5, 1995. On April 1, 2001 she was confirmed in this position. She won the elections for a third term of office with 60,5 % of the votes on the 28th of January, 2007. On May 5, 2011 Petra Roth was elected Vice President of the German Association of Cities. On a rotating basis she held, since June 1997, the office of President for six years, of Vice President for seven years and as Acting President for one year. On May 21, 2005 the University of Tel Aviv honoured Petra Roth by granting her the title "Doctor philosophiae honoris causa", because of her friendship with the state of Israel, but most of all for promoting the academic as well as the cultural relations between the twin cities of Tel Aviv and Frankfurt am Main. On September 5, 2010 she received honorary doctorate from Sookmyung Women`s University. She represents Frankfurt in a variety of international institutions, such as the Committee of the Regions in Brussels and the Executive Committee of Eurocities. Petra Roth chairs the supervisory board of the Messe Frankfurt GmbH and is a member of the supervisory board of Fraport AG (Frankfurt Airport).
About Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main is the centre of one of the most productive and dynamic regions in the heart of Europe, with an impressive range of top companies from the world of business and finance. Frankfurt is the financial and transportation centre of Germany and the largest financial centre in continental Europe.
Its excellent accessibility by air, rail and road as well as its central location at the heart of Europe have made the city one of the top transport hubs in Germany and Europe. The city hosts numerous annual trade fairs and exhibitions, while the city’s rich cultural life – with a wide range of museums, art galleries, theatres and music venues – attracts millions of business visitors and tourists each year. Frankfurt has one of the liveliest and most open commercial real estate sectors in Germany, as the numerous ongoing redevelopment projects open up new areas of the city to office, commercial and industrial use.