Advisory Boards

Dipl. Ing. Dr. techn. Anna-Vera Deinhammer

in construction, Head of the Scientific Board, Endowed Professorship for Sustainable Real Estate Development at FH Wien of WKW Vocational Field Research in Construction, Architect, Integral Engineering Scientist, Expert for Circular Economy in Construction

Dr. Anna-Vera Deinhammer is a strategist, lobbyist and integral engineer in Vienna. She holds a diploma in architecture and subsequently completed a doctorate in integral engineering in Vienna and Sydney in the field of holistic quality assessment of buildings. All her activities are focused on the creation of a healthy and liveably built environment. She works according to the Quadruple Helix approach, which combines the perspectives of business, science, civil society and politics. Her work focuses on the circular economy in construction, integral building research and engineering science, which she has been contributing to the Circular Economy Forum Austria as a founding member and Director for Circular Cities Regions since July 2022. Since October 2022, she has represented the Austrian Society for Sustainable Real Estate ÖGNI at the World Green Building Council and the Climate Positive Europe Alliance CPEA in Brussels. She is also intensifying ÖGNI’s cooperation with Austrian municipalities and is involved in standards work in the Austrian Standards Institute’s “Sustainability of Buildings” committee. Since 1 June 2023, she has held an endowed professorship for sustainable real estate development at FHWien, which is intended to provide the real estate industry with scientifically sound impetus for achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and the EU Green Deal. This endowed professorship focuses on the scientific preparation and further development of trends in the currently extremely volatile field of sustainable and resource-conserving built environment. The aim of the Master’s degree programme in Real Estate Management is to generate methods, tools and thus international future fitness both for teaching and for practical use in the real estate and construction industry. The curriculum covers the fields of project development, property development, property valuation, portfolio management, as well as banking and insurance, which are to be examined in a transdisciplinary manner in the intended research activities of the Real Estate Management degree programme. Photo credit © Wirth

Mag. Stefan Blachfellner

International Senior University Lecturer, Business Consultant, Systemic Scientist

Mag. Blachfellner is Senior Lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland, Department Business Studies, in particular for International Sustainable Business, Digitalization and Innovation Ecosystems. He has broad international cross-sector experience as an entrepreneur, business and policy advisor, and university lecturer. His teaching experience includes several universities and professional management training programs in Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Italy, France, Belgium, Norway, Finland, UK, Australia, Vietnam, Taiwan, China and the USA. Additionally he serves the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science in Vienna as volunteer director. Through the BCSSS, he established the Circular Economy Forum Austria, the largest multi-stakeholder platform to support the transformation to a circular economy in Austria. From 2016 to 2018 he was appointed as Special Adviser to the European Commissioner for Transport and was Secretary General and Vice President of the IFSR – International Federation for Systems Research, the largest global umbrella organization of systems research organizations in the natural, social and technological sciences, as well as systems engineering.

Dr. Fabiana Di Lorenzo

Human Rights and Policy Advisor

Fabiana Di Lorenzo is an experienced consultant, trainer and policy advisor on Human Rights and Ethical Business. She received a PhD in Law with a research on the role of public-private partnership in the implementation of commitments to respecting human rights and sustainability. Fabiana worked for the UK Government, the International Labour Organisation, and she offered consultancy services to a diverse range of clients including UN agencies, companies, governments and NGOs.

Dr. Elisabeth Dreer, MSc

Senior Scientist, JKU Forschungsinstitut für Bankwesen Expert Banking and Finance

Studied economics at the Johannes Kepler University Linz between 1985 and 1990 and obtained her doctorate at the Alpen-Adria University Klagenfurt in 1995. In 2001, she completed a postgraduate program in Business Administration with a focus on Banking Finance at the Danube University Krems and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Between 1991 and 1995, she worked as a university assistant at the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt and then at the Johannes Kepler University Linz, where she co-authored numerous studies with Prof. Dr Dr h. c. mult. Friedrich Schneider and conducts research in the field of banking. She has been a member of the scientific advisory board of the CSR Dialog Forum for several years and contributes her expertise to projects.

Martina Ernst, MBA

Int. Manager, Business Owner, Consultant, Expert for Equal Pay, DEI, Career, Leadership and Change

Martina Ernst is an experienced international manager, entrepreneur, coach, networker, and a proven expert for Fair Equal Pay, Career Planning, Leadership, Change as well as DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion). With her own consulting companies SalaryNegotiations. www.salarynegotiations.at, www.fairandequalpay.com and www.colourfulcareer.com she focuses on Fair Equal Pay, pay transparency, compensation, career, feMale leadership, Change and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion). Martina Ernst stands for close professional networking among women believing in the power of female solidarity. With her longterm experience – amongst others as Human Resources Manager at Erste Bank AG Österreich, Managing Director as well as Chair of the Advisory Board at Berlitz in CEE as well as WU Executive Academy Career-Partner, Lecturer und Head of the Training Course People Culture Management – she is convinced that the focus on equal pay is about much more than salary. What employees really want is appreciation, people culture, training and education, purpose and fair, transparent and comprehensible processes within the organisation
Photo Credit: Szolt Martin

Dr. Zoe Lefkofridi

Gender Studies in Forschung Lehre

Paris Lodron Universität Salzburg (PLUS) Zoe Lefkofridi ist Universitätsprofessorin für Politik Geschlecht, Diversität Gleichheit an dem FB Politikwissenschaft der Universität Salzburg. Diese politikwissenschaftliche Professur vertritt und fördert nun die Gender Studies in Forschung und Lehre und bildet die erste Professur für Geschlechterforschung an der PLUS und im Salzburger Hochschulraum. Lefkofridi forscht und lehrt über Demokratie, Diversität und Gleichheit, mit Fokus auf den Ursachen und Konsequenzen ungleicher politischer Partizipation und Repräsentation. Lefkofridi koordiniert das Konsortium vom Projekt PUSH*BACK*LASH (Horizon Europe) und ist Mitglied des Konsortiums vom Projekt ACTEU (Horizon Europe) sowie Co-Leiterin des Arbeitspakets 4 (Repräsentation). 2023 wurde Lefkofridi für ihre besonderen Verdienste um die Forschung und Lehre zu Geschlecht im Zusammenhang mit Demokratie, Diversität und Gleichstellung sowie für ihre Pionierinnen-Arbeit an der Universität Salzburg mit dem Käthe Leichter-Preis der Arbeiterkammer Wien sowie mit dem Greek International Women Award (GIWA Kategorie Politikwissenschaften Rechtswissenschaften) ausgezeichnet. Sie ist affiliiert mit dem European Governance and Politics Programme des Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (RSCAS) des Europäischen Hochschulinstitut (EUI) in Florenz. Sie ist Herausgeberin von „Political Participation“ in der neuen Gold-Open-Access-Zeitschrift Frontiers in Political Science sowie Mitherausgeberin der Serie „ Politik und Demokratie in den kleineren Ländern Europas„ NOMOS Publications. An der Universität Salzburg ist Lefkofridi gewähltes Mitglied des Expert*innen-Rates Gender Studies der PLUS (seit 2020); sowie des Senats und des Fakultätsrates der Gesellschaftswissenschaftlichen Fakultät (seit 2022). Davor hat sie als gewähltes Mitglied des Vorstandes der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Geschlechterforschung (2020-22) und als Co-Convenor des Standing Groups für Politische Repräsentation (2019-21) agiert. Lefkofridi hat an die Universitäten Wien und Athen, sowie am Institut für Höhere Studien Wiens, an der Diplomatischen Akademie Wiens und am Europakolleg in Brügge studiert. Als postdoc forschte sie an der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, an der Universitäten Stanford und Wien, am GESIS Eurolab in Köln und am Europäischen Hochschulinstitut (EUI) in Florenz (Max Weber; Jean Monnet).

Dr. Reinhard Felix Paulesich

Expert in sustainable development for companies and regions

Dr. Reinhard Paulesich has been at the newly opened Interdisciplinary Institute for Environment and Economics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business since 1991. At the beginning of the 1990s, Mr Paulesich refocused his research interests. The basis for this was the structure of Plan Do Check Act. His research support for a number of first movers resulted in a case study design that he has retained to this day. The case studies were (are) the basis for companies to engage external consultants. With regards to the laws of waste management and the evaluation of workplaces, these case studies were (are) created as a support. Among other things, it also serves as an impetus for improving evaluation methods (audit, rating, etc.). Another core area is the concept of social capital. The Basel II regulations gave rise to a new research interest for Dr. Paulesich: locating the future viability of an organisation and its ability to repay and thus getting banks and companies alike interested in linking the measurement of social capital to the credit assessment. We have been conducting case studies on this topic since 2009. Not always focused on one bank-creditor relationship, but always with the same survey structures, so that the data material remains open for subsequent analyses. For example, some company case studies on climate protection could be used retrospectively to analyse repayment capacity.

Univ. Prof. DI Dr. Marianne Penker

Professor for Rural Sociology and Rural Development at the Institute of Sustainable Economic Development at the University of Natural Science and Life Sciences, Sustainability Expert for Agricultural Food Systems

DI Dr. Marianne Penker is Professor for Rural Sociology and Rural Development at the Institute of Sustainable Economic Development at the University of Natural Science and Life Sciences. As sustainability scientist, she is committed to inter- and transdisciplinary research supporting transformative solutions in rural areas in Europe and beyond. Her work, which largely builds on Ostrom’s Social-Ecological-Systems framework, has changed the way people think about agri-food governance and the integration of diverse types of academic and stakeholder knowledge. Via the network of European Academies, she contributed to the SAPEA report on a sustainable food system for the EU and presented its results in front of the European Parliament. Dr. Penker holds the Chair of the UNESCO „Man and the Biosphere“ National Committee at the Austrian Academy of Science. She served as an institutional evaluator of the Wageningen School of Social Sciences and as member of numerous recruiting, promotion and evaluations boards for diverse universities (e.g., Aberdeen, Freiburg, Grenoble Alps, Copenhagen, SLU-Uppsala) and research programmes (e.g., EU, DFG, FWO Belgium, Swiss-NSF, Belmont Forum).

MMag. Dr. Melanie Wiener, MBA

Expert for (Open-) Foresight, Circular Economy and Sustainability-oriented Innovations

Melanie Wiener studied economics and business education at the Johannes Kepler University (JKU) in Linz, Austria and completed her MBA at the Danube University in Krems, Austria. Before returning to the University of Linz as a university assistant in 2014 to complete her doctorate in Strategic Management, she worked in the private sector: 2011-2012 as a communications manager in a PR agency in Vienna and then as a controller in an international corporation. Melanie Wiener has been a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Integrated Quality Design (IQD) at Johannes Kepler University Linz since August 2017. In both research and teaching, she focuses in particular on the topics of circular economy, sustainability-oriented innovations, open foresight and quality management.

DI Agnes Steinberger-Sendlhofer

Head of Experts Board, fodd technologist eccos22(R)-Auditor

Agnes Steinberger gained important professional experience as a quality manager in the international food industry in Austria and Canada and completed her studies in food technology at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna. As a network partner of Quality Austria GmbH, she is the lead auditor for the management systems ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ONR 192500. She is also an authorised eccos22® assessor in the CSR sector. With her profound EFQM knowledge, she also works as an EFQM assessor. Privately, she runs a small mountain farm with her family in Salzburger Land, which offers her “sustainability and future viability at first hand” on a daily basis.

Mag. Doris Bock

Expert in financing and subsidy consulting, independent business consultant for SMEs and start-ups

Doris Bock offers a comprehensive package of services in the field of financing and subsidy consulting, starting with the search for suitable financing options and subsidy programs through to the preparation of the overall financing. This includes support and preparation of financial plans for budget planning and securing financing; preparation of financing via banks and funding agencies, including the preparation of presentation documents; general funding advice on funding content and its implementation priorities in project management; compilation of possible funding instruments for the respective project or company; preparation of the necessary documents and calculations; preparation of the necessary documentation and financing programmes for the respective project or company. This includes the preparation of the necessary documents and calculations for the submission of funding applications, the preparation of the internal company reporting documents required for funding invoicing, such as a corresponding time sheet, project documentation, etc., through to the submission and invoicing of funding applications. She is managing partner of db.Unternehmer-Beratung GmbH and has been supporting companies in operational and strategic agendas since March 2005. Prior to this, she gained 17 years of professional experience in various functions in the private sector, including at Philips, and completed her business studies at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration.

Mag. Sandra Donke

Psychologist, Auditor, eccos22(R)-Assessor

Sandra Donke is an expert in quality management and has worked at the voestalpine Foundation for many years. After studying psychology at the University of Salzburg, she completed several internships at VA-Tech in the USA. When she entered the world of work, she worked as a recruiter and in client relationship management at the WIFI qualification network in Linz. She then began her long career at the voestalpine Foundation, where she is still responsible for quality management. She also supervises and supports participants from Vienna and Lower Austria in the application process as well as students and company founders. Special projects and the organisation of assessment centres round off her area of responsibility. Most recently, she also supported the foundation in obtaining the social seal of approval. In addition to her full-time work, Sandra Donke is certified as an auditor and assessor at Quality Austria in the areas of CSR and quality management.

Mag. Susanne Fridl, E.MA

Expert for Human Rights

Susanne Fridl, E.MA completed her law studies at the JKU Johannes Kepler University in Linz with a semester abroad at the Dominican University of California. This was followed by the European Master of Human Rights and Democratisation E.MA at the Global Campus for Human Rights in Venice with a semester abroad at the Universidad de Sevilla. Since 2017, she has completed numerous internships, including at the European Parliament (2017), the Federal Ministry of the Interior (2019), the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs – Permanent Mission of Austria to the OSCE (2019), Caritas Austria (2020/2021) and UNHCR (2021). As a project assistant at Fundaciòn Musol in Guatemala from October 2022 to March 2023, she was responsible for the preparation and implementation of workshops for the indigenous population on the topics of gender and the human right to water as well as the implementation of social media strategies and the creation of advocacy material. Since April 2023, she has been working in legal counselling and representation in asylum and immigration law at the BBU Federal Agency for Care and Support Services. Born in Upper Austria, she has also been involved as a volunteer in various organisations since 2009, e.g. ÖH JKU Linz, European Law Students’ Association Linz, UNI Management Club, CSR Dialogue Forum and, since 2022, the Club Alpbach Oberösterreich. In 2019 she was honoured with the Study Abroad Excellence Award, in 2022 she received a scholarship for the European Forum Alpbach.

Martina Grimus, MSc

Expert in strategic business development, HR development and corporate management in the fields of health care management and tourism

She is passionate about working with people for people and professionally supporting companies in their development steps and change processes to the “next level”. Moderating strategic topics in an interdisciplinary manner, developing sustainable concepts and providing conceptual support for change processes are both her motivation and her attitude. Martina Grimus, MSc, has been an independent management consultant since 2105 and advises organisations on change processes and the further development of competencies. She focuses on positive leadership and strength-oriented personnel development as well as strategic business development and customer-centred communication. Her successful work and clients include her involvement in the “future of work” project at Danube University Krems, the “target group-orientated internal communication” project at VAMED KMB, the “B2B Push” project at ÖBB Personenverkehr AG and stakeholder management support for the “BRAINMEE” product launch for digitAAL Life GmbH. From 1986 to 2012, she held various management positions with PL responsibility in the B2B tourism industry and was responsible, among other things, for the successful establishment of Columbus Business Travel GmbH and the development of the two international partnerships, the listed Australian Flight Centre International Group and the German REWE Touristik, as well as the subsequent successful launch of the international brand FCm Travel Solutions in Austria. After a sabbatical in Qatar / Doha from 2018-2020 with a focus on intercultural skills, she completed her Master’s degree in Health Care Management Public Health at the Danube University Krems. In addition to her basic commercial tourism training with Matura at the MODUL tourism schools in Vienna, she completed further training and further education in the areas of Positive Leadership PERMA Lead (Dr Ebner), Online Marketing (BFI), Master Coaching (KickOff Consulting), Communication, Master Trainer (R.O. KNOR), Sales Advantage and Value-Oriented Leadership (DALE CARNEGIE).

Albin Kälin

Expert for Circular Economy

Owner, founder and CEO of EPEA Switzerland GmbH, accredited assessor for the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ certification standard. Managing Director of Rohner Textil AG / Switzerland, 19 international design awards under his leadership in the 1990s. 1993 Start of the development of the Climatex® product line, the first Cradle to Cradle® products worldwide. Member of the Supervisory Board of Fein Elast Group in Austria, from 2005-2009 Managing Director of EPEA Int. environmental research in Hamburg and 2007-2009 EPEA Nederland. 2009 Foundation of EPEA Switzerland. EPEA Switzerland GmbH supports companies in various fields of activity in the development and implementation of the Cradle to Cradle® design concept. With an experienced, internationally orientated and interdisciplinary management team, Cradle to Cradle® projects are implemented worldwide in all industries. EPEA Switzerland is an accredited general assessor for the Cradle to Cradle CertificationTM certification standard. Cradle to Cradle Certified™ is a globally recognised assessment standard for safe, sustainable and recyclable products, details at www.c2ccertified.org. Products Designers, manufacturers and brands around the world rely on the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ certification standard, which, like ^eccos22®, takes a holistic approach. Albin Kälin was honoured with the UBS Key Trophy “Rhine Valley Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2001.

DI Dr. Roland Kuras

Expert in the field of sustainable energy solutions and energy management

Nach einer technischen Ausbildung absolvierte Dr. Kuras ein Studium in Maschinenbau und Verfahrenstechnik und graduierte 1994 mit der Dissertation zu “Grundlagen einer nachhaltigen Entwicklung aus energiewirtschaftlicher Sicht” an der TU Wien. Prior to this, he had already gained his first professional experience at Siemens AG in Germany. During and after his studies, he worked at the Scientific Academy of Lower Austria and at the Vienna University of Technology before moving to the management of TechSet GmbH. Since the turn of the millennium, he has been supporting companies in energy issues with his companies PowerSolution Energieberatung GmbH and PowerSolution Errichtung und Betrieb GmbH and, since 2021, in the establishment of energy communities. From 2011-2016, Dr Kuras was a member of the Regulatory Commission pursuant to Section 10 of the Energy Control Act at E-Control. Since 2014, he has been a member of the scientific advisory board of the Department of Building and Environment at Danube University Krems. He is also the initiator and co-founder of the first renewable energy community in Vienna (WGE-Grätzlenergiegemeinschaft eGen). His lecturing activities cover the topics of energy consumption development – worldwide, energy strategies for regions and at company level, the Energy Efficiency Act, ISO 50001 energy management systems, energy purchasing for major customers, renewable energy communities and energy audits. Dr Kuras is also active in research projects in the areas of optimising energy consumption for industrial companies, e-mobility and energy communities.

Dr. Nayan Mitra

Expert for Sustainability, CSR and Corporate Governance

Dr Nayan Mitra is an international expert in sustainability, CSR and corporate governance. Ihr Unternehmen „Sustainable Advancements (OPC) Private Limited“ ist frauengeführt und zielt hauptsächlich auf die Unterstützung der Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) durch Engagement und Einführung ab (www.sustainableadvancements.com). Under her leadership, Sustainable Advancements has become a leading holistic institution with a national and international reputation in CSR coaching, consulting and research (e.g. the first Women@work study together with the Aspire For Her Foundation, where she is also a mentor for SDG 5). Nayan Mitra is also the founding president of the Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WICCI) Sustainable Businesses Council. Numerous publications in the CSR series of Springer Verlag (including ‘Corporate Social Responsibility in India: Cases and Development after the Legal Mandate’ in India (2017), ‘Mandated Corporate Social Responsibility: Evidence from India’ (2019) and ‘Corporate Social Responsibility in Rising Economies: Fundamentals, Approaches and Case Studies’ (2020), partly together with Dr René Schmidpeter, round off her activities. Dr Mitra is a recipient of the prestigious Author Award at the Indian CSR Leadership Summit in 2017, 2018 and 2019. She is one of the top 25 CSR leaders in India and was also awarded the Exceptional Woman of Excellence at the Women Economic Forum in New Delhi, India in 2019.

Mag. Elisabeth Moser-Marzi

Lawyer FH lecturer in environmental, climate and sustainability law, specialising in the Taxonomy Ordinance and in waste and operational waste disposal law

Elisabeth Moser-Marzi studied law in Vienna and Graz. Ihr Abschluss des Postgraduate-Lehrgangs des „Interdisziplinären Instituts für Umwelt und Wirtschaft“ an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien erfolgte mit „Umweltorientierte Unternehmensführung“ und “Die optimale Umsetzung der EMAS VO”. Mag. Moser-Marzi hat 1987 als Studentin ihren ersten Artikel mit dem Titel “Die Welt verkommt zum Treibhaus” (Management Report 3/1987) über den Klimawandel geschrieben. In the further field of commercial law, she specialises in advising research, technology and testing facilities as well as plastics-related companies. Die Themen ihrer zahlreichen Publikationen reichen u.a. von “Verpackungsverordnung“ (MANZ 2007) über die interdisziplinäre Studie für die FFG im Auftrag des BMvit betreffend „Rechtliche Anreize für die Verbesserung von Urban Mining im Abfallrecht” (2014). 2021 erschien ein Beitrag im deutschen RECYCLINGmagazin über “Der Kampf um das Pfand” – sich auseinandersetzend mit den rechtlichen Aspekten der Einführung eines Pfandes auf Einweg-Kunststoffgetränkeflaschen und Getränkedosen in Österreich. A lectureship at the FH Pinkafeld in the MA course “Energy and Environmental Management” as well as lecture activities such as at the TU Vienna “Creation of legal incentives for urban mining in waste law” or most recently at the TÜV SÜD Academy on “Plastics-relevant packaging aspects of the PPWR” (March 2023) round off her portfolio. Hingewiesen wird auch auf Vorträge über die “Taxonomie-VO” bei den Veranstaltungen “Enterprise Klima” (Mai 2022) sowie „Connecting Cluster“ (März 2023).

Dr. Christoph Müller

Expert for international politics

Dr Christoph Müller has over two decades of experience in policy-related administration in Vienna and Brussels. His focus aera within the Ministery of Environment, as Attaché at the permanent representation of Austria at the EU as well as Department Head at the Federal Chancellery of the Republic of Austria were the conception, co-ordination and negotiation of political topics in Sustainable Development, Ecology, Climate Action, Energy as well as transport both in national and international contexts. He also has several years of OECD experience and took part in the UN climate conferences in Copenhagen, Cancun and Paris. He teaches on the “Sustainable Economy” programme at WU Vienna, at the Sigmund Freud Private University in Vienna and at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva.

DI Sabine Nadherny-Borutin

Expert in recycling management with a focus on plastics

Her early specialisation in environmental technology and waste management with a degree in food and biotechnology enabled her to pursue an extensive professional career, including Research and development in drinking and waste water treatment, setting up an environmental analysis laboratory (until submission for accreditation) in cooperation with the third largest European laboratory group, management of a company for labour leasing in the analytical sector and various management positions in waste management (managing director in waste law, project management in RD projects, authorised signatory for biodiesel production, management of a technical office, etc.), as well as research and teaching in sustainable resource management at the FH Campus Wien. DI Nadherny-Borutin has been self-employed since 2019 (nachgedacht e.U.). Well-known clients: Plastics Europe (Secretary General), as well as the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers (ECVM), general representative for API PVC Environmental Consulting, ÖWAV (lecturer and deputy head of the Plastics Working Committee), WIFI (lecturer in the field of sustainability and waste management). Other functions: Member of the board of the Austrian Research Institute (OFI) and chairwoman of the Packaging Institute, chairwoman of the Austrian Carbon Cycle Circle (^ÖCC2). Organiser and lecturer of the Sustainability Manager course with the possibility of personal certification by SystemCert, member of the advisory board of the Bioeconomy Platform, advisory board member of the Austrian Plastics Cluster, cooperation partner of ^eccos22® with training as an assessor.

Claudia Rankers

Expert in finance business

Claudia Rankers is an editor, author, member of various juries and regularly in demand as a speaker and panelist as well as for podcasts. Since 2003, she has been the founder and owner of Rankers Family Office, a multi-family and entrepreneur office that takes care of all financial issues for wealthy private individuals and entrepreneurs. Previously, she was a director at the Swiss bank UBS, where she managed the assets of wealthy private and corporate clients. As a director at Deutsche Bank, she headed a private banking unit and was responsible for special funds and investments for companies, foundations and associations. Claudia Rankers holds a degree in banking management, is an EFA European Financial Advisor, Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Certified Generation Advisor (CGA) and Certified Foundation and Estate Planner (CFEP). In 2016, she was appointed to the Gründungsallianz and in 2022 to the Startup Board of the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Economic Affairs. In 2022, she also became a network partner of the Rhineland-Palatinate Transformation Agency. As Honorary Chairwoman of the Rhineland-Palatinate Women’s Council, she is responsible for the topics of finance, business, sustainability and impact. Among other things, Claudia Rankers has founded a network of female entrepreneurs and a think tank. She is the initiator of the nationwide “Successful Women in SMEs” award, which will be held for the third time in 2023 in cooperation with WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management (www.frauen-im-mittelstand.de). With the books “Sustainability – Women Create the Future” in 2021 and “Founding – Women Create the Future in 2022”, she has made over 80 committed female scientists and entrepreneurs visible. In September 2023, the third book will be published with the topic “Unternehmensnachfolge – Frauen schaffen Zukunft” – again with FAZ-Verlag and over 40 best practices. Claudia Rankers is currently working on a sustainability project that aims to enable all small and medium-sized companies with in-depth knowledge to develop a networked corporate strategy, prioritise the appropriate measures and achieve an ESG rating and sustainability report on the path to transformation. In 2021, Claudia Rankers was awarded the Order of Merit of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate for almost 30 years of voluntary work.

Mag. Andreas Schneider

CSR Expert

Andras Schneider has been Head of Department for European and International Family and Youth Policy at the Austrian Federal Ministry for Families and Youth since 2012, where he is responsible for Erasmus+ and quality aspects of youth work, among other things. From 2007 to 2012, he was responsible for social policy and corporate social responsibility at the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber. He also built up the area of standardisation policy there and was on the board of the CSR entrepreneur platform respACT, a jury member of the TRIGOS CSR award and an advisor to the Centre for a Humane Market Economy. From 2004 to 2006, Schneider worked as a political, economic and European expert in the cabinet of Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik. Prior to this, he was responsible for EU enlargement, EU lobbying and COREPER in the European Department of the Chamber of Commerce and worked in the Federal Government’s Information Office for the introduction of euro notes and coins and EU enlargement.

DI Anja Schröder

Certified expert in sustainability communication, certified PR consultant and agricultural engineer specialising in landscape development.

Anja Schröder, with a deep understanding of sustainability from over 30 years in communication and consulting, offers comprehensive expertise on the broad spectrum of sustainability topics. After completing her studies (now environmental sciences), she was initially a research assistant at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart and then worked in numerous different positions in the communications industry. For more than 10 years, she was the strategic head of the communications department of Umwelttechnik BW, the state agency for environmental technology and resource efficiency in Baden-Württemberg. At the same time, she has worked as a freelance journalist and web copywriter for Wortweberei since 1992 and later freelanced with “stay hungry Markenkommunikation”. Her services range from copywriting, strategic communication, brand management and events to process development. With the founding of “UNTIL WE ROAR”, she is now focussing her services closely on sustainability communication, consulting, reporting, training and speaking. She is passionate about offering sustainability workshops and training courses that aim to reduce complexity in the context of sustainability and increase participants’ expertise. She supports companies and organisations in communicating sustainability services authentically and guides them through the changes in the communications sector brought about by regulations such as the Green Claims Directive. As part of this strategic transformation consultancy, new reporting obligations such as those arising from the CSRD are also addressed Together. In cooperation with consulting partners. Anja Schröder takes on the interface management between companies, consulting and auditing.

Dr. h.c. Brunhilde Schram, MAS, MBA

Expert in CSR Sustainability, Consultant, Coach, lecturer, auditor assessor

CSR/sustainability expert, consultant and coach for resource-conserving corporate management and change management, lecturer, EFQM assessor and internal auditor in the field of CSR and sustainability. Studied at the University of Salzburg, Krems and at the Open University in London as well as in Heidelberg and Bielefeld in the fields of “Economic, Psychology and General Management and Knowledge Management”. Limak training as a supervisory board member and intensive further training in Basel II. Many years of experience in export and projects in industry, SMEs and the service sector. In 2022, she was awarded the title Doctor in Philosophy honoris causa by Jharkhand Rai University, India, for her commitment to sustainability. Awards and honours from various ministries and state governments for special achievements in the field of education and business. Publication on the topic of “Implementing and anchoring the future concept of corporate social responsibility in corporate management”. Involvement as 2nd CSR federal and state spokesperson for the promotion of CSR topics. Initiator of the expert conference “Reichersberg Sustainability Dialogues”, Chapter 22.

Mag. Doris Schulz

Media PR expert, coach, initiator of the Women Excellence Circle, cross-mentor and the podcast series “Raus aus der Couch” (Get off the couch)

Mag. Andrea Sihn-Weber, CSE

Sustainability expert transformation designer with 30 years of management experience

DI Harald Strommer

EFQM Expert eccos22(R)-Assessor

Montanuniversität Leoben Petroleum Engineering, consulting in the field of lean management and production management, key figures and key figure systems. Lecturer at the University of Leoben and various universities of applied sciences. Lecturer at the University of Leoben and various universities of applied sciences. Netzwerkpartner Quality Austria/ Assessor and Auditor, Businesspartner “successfactory management coaching gmbh”

Ing. Erwin Trinkl-Sebald

Logistics Expert eccos22(R)-Assessor

Ing. Erwin Trinkl-Sebald has been Head of Logistics at Kone AG in Austria, a subsidiary of the globally active family business Kone, since 2020. He has launched a future-oriented project there, = e-cargo bikes for service technicians, which is already being implemented in many of the Group’s countries. This project was also honoured with the VCÖ Mobility Award 2021. Prior to this, he worked in management consulting (ECONSULT) and management (gabarage upcycling GmbH, LOGIS Industriedienstleistungen) and in logistics companies (cargo partner GmbH, Tibbett Britten Austria GmbH). From 2009 to 2016, he headed the Supply Chain Network of A1 Telekom Austria. In addition to his work at Kone, he is an apprentice examiner at the WKJO and a trainer at bfi Vienna. In addition to the VCÖ Mobility Award, he was nominated Logistics Manager of the Year in 2012 and received the Logistics Award from the Logistics Network Association in 2011. He is accredited as an assessor for the eccos22® Management Assessment by Quality Austria.

Mag. Christoph Wurm

Sustainable corporate developer with 18 years of banking experience

Christoph Wurm has been an independent management consultant since 2021 and is intensively involved in the interaction of strategy – organisation – people – finance and sustainability. Prior to that, he worked at VBK Bank for 18 years, where he initially headed the steering, board secretariat, risk management, credit reorganisation and legal departments as well as the Basel II project Mr Wurm was appointed to the Executive Board in 2007 and, as CFO/CRO, was responsible for Human Resources, Risk Management, Credit Management, Infrastructure, IT, Marketing, Accounting, Controlling, Product Management, Internal Audit, Legal, Compliance, Treasury and the Executive Board Secretariat. From 2015 to 2021, he was Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of VKB-Bank in Linz. Currently, Mr Wurm is also a member of the Supervisory Board of VA Intertrading, Vice President of the Management Club Upper Austria and an auditor for both Schuldnerhilfe and the CSR Dialogue Forum. Previous mandates include board member at SOS Menschenrechte, president of the Upper Austrian Stiftskonzerte, supervisory board member at OÖ KGG, Athos Immobilien AG and S Wohnbaubank and many years of involvement with the Upper Austrian Scouts. Mr Wurm studied law and sociology at the Johannes Kepler University Linz. Photo credit © Antje Wolm