Heike CLAESSEN Assistant Ministerial Counsellor/ Gender Equality Division (Germany) Having completed her studies in law, Heike Claessen worked as a lawyer and has held her position in the Equality Section of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth since 1991. She has managed numerous equal opportunities projects during this time. In particular, she has been responsible for projects involving equal pay, career choice campaigns such as Girls’ Day and Neue Wege fur Jungs (New Career Paths for Boys), and is currently responsible for reporting on the “Agreement between the German government and top industry associations on promotion of equal opportunities for women and men in private industry.”