Change
About
I have been engaged in shaping social change for more than 30 years. Change is initiated through communication. Today, open and easy access to critical topics makes important change and experimentation feasible.
My commitment to a democratic society has led me to numerous honorary posts and management positions at major German foundations. As a Managing Director and CEO, I initiated the first online counseling service against right-wing extremism at an early stage and facilitated the first German- language hologram of a Holocaust survivor–an initiative that has enabled critical knowledge among generations. While expectations and opinions are formed in real time, complex topics also require vivid histories and stories. The project story is therefore an important building block for the successful realization of any project idea. Together with young German and Israeli managers, we built our own internet and the first bilateral racing car. I established the first innovation team for sustainable funding at the largest federal foundation for dealing with Germany's past and promoting our democracy.
As a changemaker from Germany’s Ruhr region and having worked with renowned personalities such as Hans-Jochen Vogel and Joachim Gauck for many years, I have an extensive and diverse network of experts from politics, civil society, culture and the media. I am convinced that only continuous adaptation and flexibility for reaction and action can accompany change processes in these dynamic times.
Most recently, as founding director of a large family foundation, I transferred that start-up philosophy experience to the world of foundations. I have organized funding budgets of up to 25 million euros a year. I am a passionate driver of a sustainable ecosystem of funding to make funding more effective than has been the case in the past.
My journey began with an examination of German history. That is why I am driven by our "lesson learnt". It is to strengthen democracy and defend open societies. Today more than ever, the driver of social change is the private sector. The transformation of the world of work and the dynamics of technological upheaval determines all areas of life. The world of work and private life is merging, just as the analogue and digital worlds are merging.
More on this in my most important project at the moment: DesignDemocracy+, a project located in Berlin, Essen and Pittsburgh. Further information will follow shortly.
My core values
Commitment
The values of open and democratic coexistence are the foundation of our society. Protecting and strengthening them today requires change and further development. Shaping them is what drives me every day.
Teamwork
Change is always the result of dialogue, debate and the interplay of different experiences and perspectives. Working in a team means learning from each other at all levels, leaving room for creativity, challenging each other and knowing that we are travelling a common path.
Integrity
Mutual respect, transparency of motivation and action, and trust in partners allow ideas to grow into actual changes.
Courage
Driving change requires the courage to think outside the box, try out new ideas and question the tried and tested.