Martin Maier SJ was born in 1960 in Messkirch, south-west Germany.  He joined the Jesuits in 1979 and studied philosophy, theology and music in Munich, Paris, Innsbruck and San Salvador. His doctoral thesis in theology was entitled “Theology of the Crucified People.  The Outline of a Theology of Liberation in Ignacio Ellacuría and Jon Sobrino”, originally published in Innsbruck in 1993. He holds also degrees in philosophy and in organ studies with Olivier Latry, titular organist of the Cathedral Notre-Dame of Paris.

From 1993 to 1994 he coordinated a humanitarian relief action of the german and austrian jesuits in Bosnia and Croatia during wartime (Bosnien- und Kroatienhilfe der Jesuiten). In 1994 he completed his formation as a jesuit in Bangalore, India.

From 1995 to 2009 he was a member of the editorial team of the review Stimmen der Zeit, and from 1998 to 2009 managing editor. From 2009 to 2014 he was rector of the Berchmanskolleg in Munich.  Since 2014 he has been Secretary for European Affairs at Jesuit European Social Centre in Brussels. 

He is regularly visiting professor at the Central American University in San Salvador and other universities in Latin America and Europe. His publications include Pedro Arrupe – Zeuge und Prophet (‘Pedro Arrupe – Witness and Prophet’), Würzburg 2007, published in Spanish as Pedro Arrupe, testigo y profeta (Ed. Sal Terrae 2008) and in French Pedro Arrupe – un supérieur général témoin et prophète (Ed. Lessius 2016).  With Gianni La Bella he edited the collection Pedro Arrupe – Generaloberer der Gesellschaft Jesu. Neue biographische Perspektiven ([‘Pedro Arrupe – Superior General of the Society of Jesus.  New biographical Perspectives’], Freiburg 2008).  He is also author of  Oscar Romero – Kämpfer für Glaube und Gerechtigkeit ([‘Oscar Romero – Fighter for Faith and Justice’],Freiburg 2010), published in Spanish as Oscar Romero – Mística y lucha por la justicia (Barcelona 2005);  Der Mensch ist gut, nur die Leute sind schlecht. Mit Karl Valentin Sinn und Wahnsinn des Lebens entschlüsseln ([‘Human Beings are Good, only People are Bad. Unlocking the Meaning and Madness of Life with Karl Valentin], Freiburg 2012). With Matthew Ashley and Rodolfo Cardenal he is editor of La civilización de la pobreza. El legado de Ignacio Ellacuría para el mundo de hoy ([‘The Civilisation of Poverty.  The legacy of Ignacio Ellacuría for Today’s World’], San Salvador 2015) and he is the author of Oscar Romero – Prophet einer Kirche der Armen ([‘Oscar Romero – Prophet of a Church of the Poor’], Freiburg 2015), published in French as Oscar Romero. Prophète d´une Église des pauvres (Paris 2016).

Since 2015 he is spiritual adviser of The Initiative of Christians for Europe (IXE) and since 2018 international spiritual adviser of UNIAPAC, the International Christian Union of Business Executives.

As a Commissioner of Commission Ethics of EUTEC Chamber, Dr. Martin Maier will guide the chamber on its path to achieve the mission of UN Sustainable Development Goals and contribute to build a better world with responsible technology.