Ursula Heinen-Esser was appointed Commercial Director at the Deutsche Gesellschaft zum Bau und Betrieb von Endlagern für Abfallstoffe mbH (German Association for the Construction and Operation of Permanent Storage Sites for Waste Pro-ducts – DBE), based in Peine/Germany, on 7th August 2017. She holds that position in addition to her activity as Chairperson of the Executive Board of the Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung (German Federal Association for Permanent Storage – BGE). Heinen-Esser has stepped down from the DBE Supervisory Board. Her successor on the board is Monika Thomas, Head of the Department for Construction, the Construction Industry and Federal Buildings at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB).