Christoph Burkard, M.A., is Managing Director of Region Fulda Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft mbH. The 63-year-old communications scholar and PR consultant has been responsible for the joint economic development activities of the district, the city, and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Fulda for 26 years. After working as a freelance contributor alongside his studies in journalism, political science, and law in Mainz for the Mainzer Allgemeine, the Frankfurter Neue Presse, and the Fuldaer Zeitung, Burkard began his professional career in 1989 as Public Relations Officer for the Fulda District Guild of Crafts.

In 2000, he assumed responsibility for economic development and from 2001 to 2016 initiated and operated the first IT start-up center in Hesse, ITZ-Fulda. Since 2021, Burkard has led a network focused on scaling up heavy-duty logistics using hydrogen-powered trucks. The HyWheels cluster is now active nationwide and in 2024 received the Hessian State Energy Award for its project on short-term rental of fuel cell trucks.