He must have had an incredibly busy year.
That was my first thought when discovering my partner for an upcoming discussion on the UK economy was not only the former Mayor of Berlin, but the one who had been in office in 1989 - the year the Wall fell.
Then followed a brief but fascinating historical discussion with this German political heavyweight about how busy his busy year was and actually how busy he still is.
A short half-an-hour later, he and I were in soft chairs on a stage in our embassy in Berlin discussing the fact that Britain was actually still a larger manufacturer than France.
Walter Momper, a hugely impressive and charismatic speaker (a man one could steal horses with, as they say in Germany) also asked me about the importance of universities to our economy (very and growing), the balance between financial services and manufacturing (manufacturing accounts for 11% of GDP compared to 9% for financial services) and the export potential of SMEs (enormous and growing due to high levels of innovation, world-leading design and quality).
Our chat on stage was part of what we call 'commercial diplomacy', which is about keeping growth and prosperity at the heart of our foreign policy and using all of the diplomatic machinery around the world to support economic growth in the UK.
For me this week, commercial diplomacy event has been about:
- telling a collection of serious German businessmen about the strengths of the UK economy, that we are still open for business, why the UK is the number one investment destination for German business and what an important economic opportunity the Olympics is for the UK.
- hosting a reception for bankers in our embassy sponsored by British anti-credit card fraud company ValidSoft. Part of the package of support available for British exporters, we proudly showcased the work of this innovative and market-leading firm to an audience of potential international business partners.
- and attending the German premiere of an Anglo-German film co-production telling the story of the sinking of the Laconia and then the subsequent rescue of survivors by a brave U-boat captain. As well as being a fascinating and emotional evening - an elderly survivor from the ship was on stage telling us how this heart-warming story of kindness in the midst of a devastating conflict proved "not everyone in a war is wicked" - it was a chance to hear how TalkbackTHAMES and the BBC had collaborated with German partners on this epic production and a reminder of the strength and economic importance of our film industry (worth £7bn each year and total revenue from the international sale of UK TV programmes was £1.42 billion last year).
In the coming months my team and I, as well as our Ambassador, his deputy and the rest of the foreign office presence here in Germany will be using our combined efforts, skills, resources and knowledge to promote the UK economy, through offering direct help to exporters, encouragement and information to would-be investors, support on breaking down barriers to market entry and growth and taking every opportunity to talk-up the UK economy and our commercial strengths.
A busy year ahead.
But not as busy as Walter Momper's 1989.