Johannes Laitenberger is the Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Competition since 1 September 2015. Under the political guidance of Commissioner Vestager, he manages the Directorate-General within the framework set by its mission statement and work programme. He has been Deputy Director-General of the Commission's Legal Service (2014-15), Head of Cabinet of President Barroso (2009-14), Spokesperson of the European Commission (2005-09), and Head of Cabinet of Commissioner Reding (2003-04).

Johannes Laitenberger started his career in the European Institutions in 1996 as an adviser in the General Secretariat of the Council. In 1999, he joined the Commission as a case handler in the Directorate-General for Competition and soon became a Member of Commissioner Reding’s cabinet (1999-2003). Previously, he studied Philosophy at the Portuguese Catholic University in Lisbon, and law at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, Bonn. He qualified as a German lawyer. He was born in Hamburg, Germany and grew up in Hamburg and Lisbon, Portugal.