Hospitality specialist from the Saarland: Josephine Ortleb

Josephine Ortleb (SPD) was elected as Vice-President of the German Bundestag on 25 March 2025. The parliamentarian from Saarbrücken has been a Member of the Bundestag since 2017. Ortleb was elected with a 32.4 percent first-vote majority in the Bundestag elections on 23 February 2025, and represents the constituency of Saarbrücken.

Josephine Ortleb was born on 25 November 1986 in Saarbrücken. After obtaining her Abitur (higher-education entrance qualification) in 2007, she studied social sciences at the University of Cologne from October 2008 until February 2009 and political management at Bremen University of Applied Sciences from October 2009 until September 2010. Ortleb subsequently began vocational training in the hospitality industry, completing this in 2014 as a certified specialist in hospitality services. She has been a member of the SPD since 2008 and, among other positions, was the manager of the Saarland branch of the Young Socialists (youth section of the SPD). In 2017 she entered the Bundestag for the first time with a direct mandate. 

On the Committee on Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, Josephine Ortleb was committed, among other issues, to achieving greater equality. As a member of the Council of Elders she was involved in coordinating the work of the Bundestag and in 2020 was elected Parliamentary Secretary by her group.