Former German vice chancellor joins Urban Partners as senior advisor

Robert Habeck, Germany's former vice chancellor, will join Urban Partners as a senior advisor on 1 August 2026.

Robert Habeck and Jens Stender

In this capacity, Habeck will focus on enhancing the firm's research initiatives, particularly concerning urban transformation and the role of private capital in developing affordable housing within high-growth urban centres.

Furthermore, Habeck will contribute to Urban Partners' thought leadership and future publications, continuing the work established by papers such as The Copenhagen Way and Unlocking Sustainable Urban Regeneration in Europe. He will also maintain ongoing collaborations with key non-profit organisations like C40 Cities and BloxHub, as well as industry leaders including Ramboll and Arup.

Before joining Urban Partners, Habeck served as Germany's vice chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action from 2021 to 2025. Before that role, he spent over six years as deputy minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein, overseeing state ministries responsible for the energy transition, agriculture, environment, nature conservation, and digitalisation.

Habeck's appointment underscores Urban Partners' ongoing expansion across Europe, and specifically in Germany. Recent German investments include modern logistics facilities in metropolitan regions and urban, middle-income multifamily housing in Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg.

Most recently, Urban Partners launched the Urban Partners Regeneration Fund (UPRF), a strategy dedicated to transforming large-scale brownfield sites into active urban neighbourhoods throughout Germany and Europe. The fund, which secured an initial investment capacity of €650 mln at its first close, is backed by strategic partners such as the Viessmann Generations Group and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.

Jens Stender, co-CEO of Urban Partners, commented: “Public-private collaboration is at the core of our DNA as an investor, and Habeck brings with him invaluable experience and track record of public service at the intersection of sustainability, affordability and private industry. His passion for driving change and desire to build a more resilient and independent Europe is strongly aligned with our own ethos.”