Germany’s international broadcaster will be headed by a woman for the first time, after the DW Broadcasting Council appointed Barbara Massing as new Director General. She will replace Peter Limbourg on October 1, 2025.
German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle announced Friday that Barbara Massing will replace Peter Limbourg as the company’s Director General on October 1, 2025.
“I am thrilled to appoint Barbara Massing as the next Director General,” said Karl Jüsten, chair of the DW Broadcasting Council and its selection committee. “She brings not only top-tier leadership and journalistic expertise but also the strategic foresight needed to position Deutsche Welle for long-term success in a challenging global media environment.”
As managing director for Business Administration, Massing has been key to expanding DW programming as well as streamlining the organization, said Jüsten, who emphasized that she “is exactly the leader Deutsche Welle needs to strengthen its role as a trusted, independent global voice for democracy and freedom.”
Massing thanked the council for its trust in her leadership and for the opportunity to help shape DW’s future.
“Fact-based, reliable journalism is our most valuable asset and it is more important now, in times of AI-manipulated content and disinformation, than it has ever been,” said Massing on Friday.
A ‘strong voice of freedom’
Achim Dercks, deputy director of DW’s Advisory Board, also praised Massing’s success in expanding and restructuring DW activities and pledged to work alongside her to insure that DW “remains a relevant voice in the world, providing people with free information” in what he described as “geopolitically challenging times.”
Wolfram Weimer, the German government’s Commissioner for Culture and the Media, added that Massing as an “experienced manager” who knows how to modernize DW.
“In these times of war, when democracy is under attack everywhere, when authoritarianism is rampant, it is important that there is a strong voice of freedom. And that is at home here at DW,” Weimer said.
Barbara Massing will be first woman to lead DW
A fully qualified lawyer, Massing joined DW in 2006 and became part of its Management Team in 2014 after previously working as a producer for German public broadcaster ARD and for the Franco-German broadcaster Arte.
Massing, who holds, among others, positions on the advisory boards for the city of Bonn’s International Beethovenfest and the University Hospital Bonn, will become the first woman to lead DW since its founding on May 3, 1953.
During her career Massing has focused on digital transformation, organizational culture and sustainability.
Massing’s nomination was put forth after a unanimous decision by the Broadcasting Council’s seven-member selection committee.
She will replace outgoing Director General Peter Limbourg, who announced his retirement in September 2024, after holding the position since 2013.
The role of the Director General at DW
The Director General is responsible for steering and coordinating DW’s strategic and operational activities in close collaboration with its governing bodies.
According to the DW Act, the Director General must be elected via secret ballot by the Broadcasting Council for a term of six years. Re-election to the post is permitted, and a two-thirds majority is required for appointment.
DW is Germany’s international broadcaster and provides news and information in 32 languages around the world with TV, online and radio services reaching 320 million users every week and employs around 4,000 people from 140 different countries.
DW’s work focuses on topics such as freedom and human rights, democracy and the rule of law, world trade and social justice, health education and environmental protection, technology and innovation.
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