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Thomas Gambke is a retired German politician of theAlliance 90/The Greens, who was a member of theBundestag from 2005 to 2017, effectively winning a seat in the15th,16th and17th election. A diploma physician, Gambke worked for theSchott AG and later as an independent entrepreneur, prior to entering politics.
Gambke was born on October 16, 1949 inRimsting, at theLake Chiemsee in UpperBavaria. He visited aVolksschule in Mehlem (Bonn) and went toGymnasium inBad Godesberg (Bonn) andGehrden. After graduating in 1968 and completing Basic military service, Gambke studiedphysics at theTechnische Universität Darmstadt where he got his diploma in 1976, followed by adoctorate in 1981.[1][2]
He worked as a research assistant at the Institut für Festkörperphysik (Institute forSolid State Physics) at the Technische Universität Darmstadt and did scientific work at theUniversity of California in San Diego, USA. From 1982, he was as a technology consultant at theVDI Technology Center [de] in Berlin.[1][2]
Gambke joinedSchott AG in 1984 where he first worked as a project manager in the Research & Development department. He became that department's head in 1985 and did research at theOtto Schott Research Center in Mainz. In 1990, Gambke took over the commercial management of the Schott plant inLandshut. He contributed to the creation of production facilities in Czechia (1992), Singapore (1994) and in the USA (2001).[1]
Towards the end of his time at Schott, he held high positions in Schott: He was the head of Schott's Packaging Department and the vice-president of the newly foundedNEC SCHOTT Components Corporation. Last he was the Spokesman of the Executive Board ofSCHOTT Electronics GmbH from 2003 to 2006.[1]
Gambke left Schott in 2007 and foundedBürgerenergie Isae e.G. in 2012, an organization focussing onEnergy transition. He was a member of the board of trustees of theUniversity of Applied Sciences Landshut and a member of thePetra Kelly Foundation, named after one of the founders of the Green Party.[1]
Gambke joined theAlliance 90/The Greens in 2004 and was the spokesman of the party's local chapter in theLandshut District from 2006 to 2010. He was a member of the city Council of Landshut from 2008 to 2011. During that time, he was first elected into the Bundestag (in 2009). There, he was a member of the Finance Committee, the Committee for Economy and Energy and was the chairman of the Parliamentary group organizing cooperation withASEAN countries.[1][3]
Gambke is married and has three children. He lives in Landshut.[1][2] According to himself, his biggest political idol isErnst Reuter of theSPD, the first mayor of Berlin after WWII.[4]
