Speakers 2020

Alex Aiken joined Westminster City Council as Head of Communications in May 2000. The work of the communications team has been recognised in a number of national PR competitions. Between 2003-5 he was also Head of Communications at the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in the firstever communications partnership agreement between two local authorities. He has also served as interim Head of Communications at the London Borough of Hillingdon. Before joining Westminster he held senior posts at Conservative Central Office leading the Party’s Campaigns Unit from 1999-2000 and the Press Office between 1995 and 1999. Alex has trained politicians and officials in newly democratic states around the world in communications techniques and in the UK was a key member of the group that developed the ‘Reputation’ project to improve perceptions of local government. He lives in Pimlico, central London with his wife and two children.

Anna Beranek is a senior communications manager with extensive experience in thought leadership, reputation management and social media in global roles in various countries at international organizations, including Siemens, BMW and the German Foreign Office. Having lived in Asia, Europe and the U.S., she speaks five languages fluently. Throughout her career, Anna has honed her focus on positioning managing board members, CEOs and top executives as thought leaders in an authentic way, effectively advising them in fast-paced and political environments, including change and crisis communications.

As a professional communicator, Constantin Birnstiel started his industrial career in the mid 90s at global engineering giant Siemens. After holding several managerial positions in Communications and Investor Relations, his last position was Global Head of Media Relations.
In 2011 Constantin left Siemens to support the spin-off of the lighting manufacturer OSRAM. In his role, he accompanied the successful transaction and market implementation of the new stand-alone company as the Global Head of Communications, Governmental Affairs and Investor Relations.
In 2015 Constantin was asked by the German giant utility E.ON to accompany the separation of its conventional energy generation and trading business into a new company, Uniper, which – in his role as Global Head of Corporate Communications and Investor Relations – he helped to successfully publicly list it in 2016.
Mid of 2017 Constantin followed the call of DAX-listed Merck KGaA, a leading science and technology company, to take over as Global Head of Group Communications.

Rainer is a passionate communicator with more than 11 years experience in agencies and in-house with a strong focus on cybersecurity, honored to have been included in the Holmes Report's Innovator EMEA 25 list 2016. He believes: If we want people to listen to what companies have to say today, the stories we tell them have to differentiate a brand from others, be consistent and surprising. So he had a NFC chip implanted into my left hand on a stage at IFA in Berlin to visually support our PR efforts around research into implanted technology and stood in a Pop Up store for two days, trying to convince people to hand over private data in exchange for art. He believes PR has to dare more - we lost control over communications anyway, so more than ever we now have to be creative, unique and different.

Cynthia Chan is Head of Corporate Communications, Greater China for Covestro, a world-leading supplier of high-tech polymer materials. With solid professional experience and proven business acumen, she aspires to drive communications to the next level and drive a unique culture for the company which became independently in Frankfurt in 2015. Chan has worked with APAC based multinationals across a variety of sectors, including finance, technology and retail during her tenure at award-winning global PR agencies prior to Covestro.

Sarah Cordivano is Zalando's Sr. Diversity & Inclusion Officer. She is from Philadelphia and has a background in spatial data analysis, community management and project management. She is an active community organizer and advocate for diversity and inclusion. She has called Berlin home for the past two and a half years.

Louis de Schorlemer joined Gallup in 2003 to manage the external relations for Belgium and Luxembourg. He now assumes the position of Director of Communications for Europe responsible for corporate communications and public affairs in the region. In this position, he builds a coordinated presence for Gallup, a global research-based consultancy in applied behavioral economics, helping organisations better manage their employees and customers, and understand the state of public opinion.

Louis holds a Master's degree in Global Marketing Communications from Emerson College, Boston University, USA. He started his career with DaimlerChrysler, working on strategic marketing projects in Germany, Luxembourg and Australia. He then moved to Brussels and worked with a pan-European think tank. He is a founding member of the European Association of Communication Directors.

Hendrik de Wit is Group Manager Communications at Refresco, the world’s largest independent bottler of beverages. With 20 years Marketing & Communications experience within the financial and pharmaceuticals industry, Hendrik managed several M&A trajectories, and key projects such as public listing (IPO), corporate repositioning, rebrandings and launching new strategy, purpose and values.

Christof Ehrhart is Global Head of Corporate Communications & Governmental Affairs and Executive Vice President of Robert Bosch GmbH, a leading global technology and service company with more than 400,000 employees and subsidiaries and regional companies in more than 60 countries.

From 2009 until 2018 he was Head of Corporate Communications & Responsibility and Executive Vice President at Deutsche Post DHL Group, with about 500,000 employees in more than 200 countries and territories the world´s leading mail and logistics Group.

In 2017 he received the German Image Award from F.A.Z.-Insitute/PRIME Research International for positioning Deutsche Post DHL Group as the German company with the best international media image and the Seismograph Award from PR-Magazin as PR Manager of the Year in Germany.

Prior to joining Deutsche Post DHL Group in 2009, he was in charge of Corporate Communications at European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), the mother company of Airbus. Ehrhart looks back on more than 20 years of experience as professional in international communications and public affairs for major global players such as America Online (Internet), Bertelsmann (Media), Schering (Ethical Pharma) and JT International (Tobacco).

Veronica Fresneau is a Head of Marcom at Vive, a Dutch fintech startup based in Amsterdam. She has ten years of international experience in advertising and PR agencies such as McCann World Group and Weber Shandwick. During the years, she has been responsible for a portfolio of B2C and B2B tech global brands leading strategy, branding and integrated comms among others. Veronica has been working with startups since 2009 on several EMEA markets and is also an entrepreneur having co-founded two startups.

Karina Furga-Dąbrowska is Partner and Europe Chief Mindfulness Officer at Dentons, the world’s largest law firm. She is a lawyer with more than 20 years of professional experience in legal and tax advisory for international corporations. Karina has initiated and co-designed an innovative NextMind training programme for lawyers and legal professionals based on mindfulness meditation. She is currently developing and implementing the NextMind project in Dentons’ offices in Europe and worldwide. She is also Founder and President of the Board at Foundation Knowledge for a Better Life. Before joining Dentons, Karina was a Manager at EY from 2002-2006, having previously been Senior Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers from 1999-2002.

Jeppe Glahn joined Novzymes in May 2005 as director of internal communications, before becoming its director of corporate communications in 2008 and taking up his current role in September 2019. Before joining Novozymes, Jeppe worked at Brodrene Hartmann in a variety of roles in sustainable development and communications from 1998 to 2005.

Gitte Gravengaard’s research areas are communication, research communication, journalism, and internships. She has written several peer-reviewed monographs as well as a large number of peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and conference papers. Gravengaard is the director of The Advisor of the Future research project, and the project ‘CEO Communication and the future communication advisor’ is a part of this larger research project.

As Chief Storyteller at GE, Tomas Kellner oversees the content and social media strategy of GE Reports, GE’s digital media hub, and the GE Brief, GE’s global newsletter. His career in journalism includes eight years as a reporter and staff writer at Forbes magazine in New York, where he covered business, innovation, and technology. Tomas also spent six years at Kroll as a senior director managing business intelligence research and investigations. Tomas graduated from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and also holds a degree in mechanical engineering and materials science from Czech Technical University. He is a Fulbright Scholar.

Corley Kenna is a seasoned public affairs and communications professional with almost 20 years of experience. Corley began her career in government and politics. She got her start with Congressman John Lewis (GA) and Senator Zell Miller (GA) and later worked for Senator Tom Carper (DE).

Corley is also a tested campaign operative, having spent election cycles with the New Hampshire Democratic Party, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and on Hillary for New York (2006) and Hillary for President (2008). She rounded out her time in government in the Obama administration, serving as a Senior Advisor in the U.S. State Department in the Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

As Managing Director and Chief of Staff to the CEO of Burson-Marsteller, Corley built and maintained global client and media relationships at one of the world’s leading communication agencies. As Vice President for Public Affairs and Corporate Communications at Ralph Lauren Corporation, she led media response and strategy for all corporate affairs and crisis situations. She founded and co-lead the supply chain Traceability Working Group, a company-wide initiative to improve sustainability with respect to raw materials.

At Patagonia, Corley oversees all product, brand and internal communications. She led the media strategy around the 100% for the Planet Black Friday initiative, which resulted in $10 million in donations to environmental nonprofits worldwide. She currently leads all communication strategy around the company’s initiatives—from public lands to progressive family policies.

Mike Klein is Principal of Changing The Terms, a Netherlands-based consultancy focused on improving the effectiveness and relevance of internal and social communication. Mike is the author of "From Lincoln to LinkedIn, the 50-Minute Guide to Social Communication" and is a prolific writer on communication-related topics. Mike is Past Chair of IABC EMENA and an MBA graduate of London Business School.

Kerstin Lohse-Friedrich is responsible for external and internal communications at the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS). Prior to taking on this position, she worked at German television studio ARD-Hauptstadtstudio, reporting on economic, financial and foreign policy. From 2000 to 2005, she was the founding bureau chief of the ARD studio in Shanghai. She also worked on the editorial team of the radio program SWR2, where she was a senior editor and radio presenter. She studied Sinology and Political Science in Heidelberg, Beijing and Leiden (the Netherlands) and holds a master’s degree in Political Science and China Studies/Sinology from Heidelberg University and a MBA in Communication and Leadership from Quadriga University, Berlin.

Brian Lott has over 20 years’ experience in global public relations, and is the Executive Director, Communications, for the Advanced Technology Investment Company. He joined ATIC from Burson-Marsteller, where he spent 10 years providing strategic guidance to the firm’s public clients, and the last four years leading the agency’s largest relationship, managing a global team of 150 across 25 markets. He was the co-chair of Burson’s key client relationship programme.

Mr Lott began his professional career in Washington, D.C., working for two Members of Congress and serving as Chief of Staff, Spokesman and Campaign Manager over 14 years, managing six successful re-elections over a period spanning three Presidential administrations. He is a published author and has worked as a journalist. He holds a bachelor’s degree with honours in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Iowa, and has studied at the City University of London and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

After completing her studies in political science (1997-2002), Sandra Busch-Janser worked as a research assistant at the Eastern Europe Institute in Munich and completed her doctorate at the University of Duisburg-Essen. She has worked in Berlin in the field of political communication since 2004 and is responsible for the development of various information platforms such as www.politnews.eu, the job portal politjobs.de and the political monitoring service of the German daily newspaper, Tagesspiegel under the umbrella of polisphere e.V. From 2014-2016 she was managing editor for political information services at the publishing house of the Tagesspiegel.

Daniel Mittler has been communicating about – as well as fighting against - the climate crisis for decades. He believes that the moral argument for climate action needs to be made and that the climate crisis can only be addressed together with the inequality crisis. From 2008 to 2010 he was Head of the Germany Program at the European Climate Foundation. From 2004 to 2008 he was also working at Greenpeace International leading work on climate politics, trade, corporate accountability and international financial institutions. Before joining Greenpeace, Daniel was Head of International Campaigns at BUND – Friends of the Earth Germany for four years.

Stefan Nerpin is Senior Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs at Volvo Bus Corporation, a world leading manufacturer of buses and coaches, operating with 8,000 people in +140 countries and with revenues of EUR 2.5 billion. In previous roles as Chief Communication Officer/Chief Marketing Officer for DNV GL Group, Vattenfall Group, SEB Group, and at TNT Global Express, Stefan together with his teams developed global brands and advanced profitable business growth in highly competitive markets. He has managed mergers and acquisitions with re-branding, business re-modeling and digital transformation, customer development, company/CEO positioning and organizational change. A common ambition has been to engage customers and key stakeholders in pioneering industry transformation, technology innovation, and safe and sustainable enterprise.

Byung-Hun Park started his career at Burson-Marsteller in 2006. In 2007, he moved to the Hering Schuppener communications consultancy. In 2012, he joined Softweare AG as Senior Vice President Global Corporate Communications & Marketing DACH before joining Viessman, an international manufacturer of heating, industrial, and refrigeration systems, as Vice President Corporate Communications in July 2019.

Mette joined Maersk in August 2017. Prior to joining Maersk, she has served as Head of Corporate Communications in Danfoss, Scandinavian Airlines and TDC, a Danish telecom provider. She has a Master’s degree in Philosophy and Media Science from the University of Aarhus, Denmark.

Corporate Communications drives stakeholder understanding of Maersk’s strategy to become the global integrator of container logistics and builds brand reputation. This is done through impactful leadership and employee engagement, positioning Maersk in the media through earned coverage and serving as custodian of the corporate brand, ensuring the visual identity is adhered to and the tone of voice positions the corporate brand effectively.

Mette is responsible for Corporate Communications globally in Maersk which encompasses the Internal Communications, Media Relations and Branding departments. The Corporate Communication function consists of department leadership and associated teams based in Copenhagen, supported by a network of regionally based communication advisors and managers.

Carmen Romero was appointed NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy in October 2016. She joined NATO in May 2004 as Deputy Spokesperson and Head of Press and Media, a position she held for 12 years. She has also been Acting NATO Spokesperson, including during the Russia-Georgia war in August 2008.
Prior to this, Carmen had a long career as the Foreign Affairs Correspondent for EFE News Agency based at the United Nations in Geneva, Moscow and Paris, covering events such as the revolution in Romania, the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the war in Chechnya, the crisis in Kosovo, and the NATO campaign in the former Yugoslavia. From 2001 to 2004 she was the Defence and Foreign Affairs Correspondent for EFE News Agency to the European Union and NATO. During that period she was also special envoy to Iraq and Afghanistan.

At the Dutch leading energy supplier Essent (part of Innogy, one of Europe’s largest renewable energy players), Kirstin Simons is Director Corporate Affairs. She is responsible for all aspects of communication and public affairs in the Netherlands and Belgium. Before joining Essent, Kirstin worked as Communications Director at AkzoNobel where she was leading the communication function in Europe and prior to that the global communication function for AkzoNobel’s Performance Coatings division. Kirstin was also a Member of the Supervisory Board of AkzoNobel in Germany. Kirstin started her career as a journalist and PR specialist working for German public television and a PR agency in Berlin, including an assignment at satellite operator SES Astra in Luxembourg, where she led the group’s international PR.

Joy Tan, a highly respected global communications executive at one of the world's most valuable brands, is responsible for setting the public relations, corporate social responsibility, brand reputation and government relations agenda for Huawei Technologies USA. Widely recognized for her efforts that helped Huawei become one of the most powerful global players in technology, overtaking Sweden's Ericsson and Apple in the U.S. as the world's second largest telecoms-equipment and mobile device maker. With effective management and an excellent performance across all financial indicators, Huawei's business has remained robust in 2019.

In 2017, Tan received the SABRE Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement at the Holmes Report's annual Asia-Pacific awards ceremony and she has remained on the Holmes Report Influence 100 list consecutively for the past five years. Before joining Huawei, Tan worked at Verizon, where she was responsible for consumer strategy and digital marketing, and at TXU Energy, where she led customer acquisition efforts in the newly deregulated energy markets.

In his role as Vice President, Head of Group Communication at international engineering, environmental science and economics group COWI, Manuel Vigilius is advisor to the Group CEO and executive management. He has had similar roles in international companies such as Maersk, ISS and TDC. Manuel graduated from the Danish School of Journalism, has worked as a reporter and editor and has taught journalism and communication at different institutions including the University of Southern Denmark.

Peko Wan is the Chief Ecosystem Officer for Pundi X, a leading blockchain-based smart device and solution company. Peko is responsible for growing and strengthening the decentralized ecosystem. She facilitates strategic partnerships as well as drives initiatives to deploy Pundi X solutions globally. She has over 15 year experience in the IT industry. Prior to Pundi X, Peko was the Head of Communications, Asia for Opera Software and she led the global PR activities for Opera Max, a leading data management and saving app for Android users.

Ernst Weijers is Senior Consultant at Innovation Booster, a boutique innovation strategy, change management and execution consultancy firm operating internationally from Amsterdam and New York. He has five years of international experience working in the fields of strategy and corporate innovation. Ernst led various product and service innovation development and change management efforts together with clients from F500 companies in the FMCG, Retail, Energy & Gas, Banking, Chemical, Staffing and Insurance industries.