We are happy to announce our Southeast Asia visionaries, experts, thinkers and doers. In alphabetical order.

Kristian Jeff Agustin

Somsak “Pai” Boonkam

Andy Coxall

Dr Ngoc Lan Thi Dang

Peetachai (Neil) Dejkraisak

Freunde Indonesiens e.V.

Eugene Ho

Samuel M. Lam

Prof Dr Christian von Lübke

Dr Wawan Mas’udi

Zahra Mutiara

Dr NGUYỄN Nam

Molly Ng

Natharoun Ngo

Minh Ngoc

Dr Huong Thi Lan Nguyen

Yen Ooi

Heike Pratsch

Aimi Ramlee

Vibhas Ratanjee

Andreas Schell

Adirupa Sengupta

Verena Siow

Nguyễn Thanh Sơn

Giovanni Spadaro

Charlene Tan

Dr. Elizabeth T. Urgel

Martin Vidanes

Prof Dr Josef Wieland

Andre de Wit

Curator and PhD candidate
Kristian Jeff Agustin
Kristian Jeff Agustin | Curator and PhD candidate at Manchester School of Art, UK
Kristian is a PhD candidate at Manchester School of Art in the UK, where he is conducting his research on the visual culture of Southeast Asia. He is originally from Manila, Philippines but he has also lived in Singapore (for a professional stint at the Asia-Europe Foundation), Hong Kong (for his research work at Hong Kong Baptist University School of Communication and Film), and London (for his master’s at the University of Westminster). His creative practice includes digital media, exhibition design, photography, and visual art. He often brings together these various specialisms into his curatorial practice — working in Manchester, London, Hong Kong, and Manila. Prior to curating the online exhibition Made in ASEAN (2020-2021), he was involved in two Southeast Asia-wide exhibitions, Ties of History (2018) and Almost There (2017).
‘For me, Southeast Asia is a glimpse into a futuristic society in the face of pandemics, rising oceans, and impending wars.’
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November:
Workshop I Southeast Asia: Fluid Identity in Regional Constructs

Founder & CEO
Somsak “Pai” Boonkam
Somsak “Pai” Boonkam | Founder & CEO at Local Alike
Somsak “Pai” Boonkam, an Ashoka Fellow and the founder and CEO of Local Alike, a social enterprise building an online platform to connect travelers and locals through meaningful and authentic experiences. As a social enterprise, Local Alike uses community-based tourism as a form of development tool to solve local issues, preserve local culture, and generate additional income to local communities. Prior to founding Local Alike, Pai worked at the Mae Fah Luang Foundation Under Royal Patronage. He was tasked with business development at Northern Thai communities under the Doi Tung Development Project. Pai was born and raised in rural Thailand where he developed a deep appreciation for the ingenuity of indigenous culture and the role of sustainable development. He graduated with an MBA in Sustainability Management from Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco, California. Pai has worked in a variety of cross-cultural settings. His goal is to bring the wisdom of indigenous people to the mass market in order to develop sustainable products that have a positive impact on the society.
Local Alike is a travel company that offers a wide range of community-based tourism experiences. Their tours and excursions are fun and immersive, earning them consistent praises for being “unique” and “meaningful” by travellers worldwide. Travellers get to take part in off the beaten path experiences that contribute to the preservation of local ways of life and the conservation of our environment.
As a social enterprise, Local Alike’s mission is to empower holistic and sustainable growth in local communities through tourism. Local Alike also provides business and development related training for their local partners.
“For me, Southeast Asia is the golden land of opportunity”
Topic at TLS 2021 I 12th November
Workshop I Social Entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia
Company's website:https://localalike.com

Chief Executive, Common Purpose Student Experiences
Andy Coxall
Andy Coxall |Chief Executive, Common Purpose Student Experiences
Andy has over 10 years’ experience in the leadership development sector. He joined Common Purpose in 2007 to run programmes for middle managers in London, before becoming Curriculum Director in 2011, overseeing the curriculum for all our programmes around the world. He is now Chief Executive of Student Experiences and leads our work with university students globally.
In this role Andy oversees our partnerships with universities globally, currently numbering 90 universities and 11 of the top 30 in the world including Harvard, Chicago, Kings College London, National University of Singapore and University of Hong Kong. He also oversees corporate partnerships with organisations such as BP, Santander and Expedia, and with youth organisations such as the All-China Youth Federation, Westpac Scholars and Commonwealth Scholars.
Andy also speaks extensively on developing the next generation of leaders, from international education conferences such as EAIE, Going Global, QS to convenings such as TEDxLondon.
The Student Experiences team is based out of the US, UK, India and Singapore London and will deliver programmes for 5,000 students over the next twelve months. Andy also sits on the Senior Management Team of Common Purpose.
Andy is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). From 2014 – 2015, Andy was Chairman of a Campaign Board for Worldwide Cancer Research. Prior to joining Common Purpose, Andy mentored for Chance UK a charity running early intervention programmes for children with behavioural difficulties, volunteered on a street children programme in Peru and worked for a charity fundraising company in Oxford.
Andy has an MA (Hons) in Social Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh. He has travelled extensively to more than 50 countries, and delivered programmes and worked in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the Caribbean, North and South America.
Andy is half English, half Japanese, was born in Tokyo, grew up in Oxford and now lives outside London with his wife and two boys.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November
Workshop I Cultural Intelligence – a key skill for the future?

Director, Vice President
Dr Ngoc Lan Thi Dang
Dr Ngoc Lan Thi Dang I Director of the Language Center and Foundation Year of Vietnamese-German University (VGU), Vice President of the Scientific Board of Nam Viet Institute of Education Sciences and Country Director of Women’s Empowerment and Voice (WEAV)
Ngoc Lan Thi Dang, Ph.D., is Director of the Language Center and Foundation Year of Vietnamese-German University (VGU) in Vietnam. Dr. Dang earned her Master’s degree in Educational Management and Human Resource Development at the University of Sydney in Australia in 2002, and her doctoral degree in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education at Michigan State University (MSU) in the U.S. in 2012. Her research interests are in gender equality, women and leadership in academia, transcultural women’s leadership, global citizenship, female students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), transnational higher education, and EMI (English-medium instruction). She has had a number of publications with Emerald Publishing Limited in the United Kingdom, SAGE, Taylor & Francis Group, and some high quality journals in the U.S. Currently, Dr. Dang is also the Vice President of the Scientific Board of Nam Viet Institute of Education Sciences based in Ho Chi Minh City and Country Director of Women’s Empowerment and Voice (WEAV), an American non-governmental organization to promote gender equality in education for girls and women in economically challenged communities in the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November
Workshop | Women in Leadership – Perspectives from Southeast Asia
Vietnamese-German University (VGU):https://vgu.edu.vn/de/fy-teaching-faculty

CEO, Co-Founder
Peetachai (Neil) Dejkraisak
Peetachai (Neil) Dejkraisak I CEO and Co-founder of Jasberry Co., Ltd
Neil is a CEO and co-founder of Jasberry Co., Ltd., a social enterprise from Thailand with a mission to alleviate the problem of poverty among small-scale farmers through creating innovative delicious and healthy organic products for global consumers. He is also a Secretary-General on the board of Social Enterprise Thailand Association (SE Thailand). The association empowers and supports its SE members to generate maximum social and environment impact in a sustainable and scalable manner. A former investment banker from Capital Nomura Securities PCL, he holds a MBA degree from Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration of Chulalongkorn University, with Exchange program at Kellogg School of Management, and Dual Bachelor Degree of Environmental Engineering & Economics from University of Melbourne.
Jasberry has been recognized globally for its third-party verified social impact, some of the awards that Jasberry and Neil have won include:
Awarded the Meaningful Business 100. Recognized as 1 of the 100 inspirational global leaders that combine purpose and profit to make meaningful changes in the world to help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Winner of the Chivas Venture 2017, a competition to find the best social enterprise in the world from 30 countries
‘Spark the Fire’ Champion at Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2016 organized by the US Government in Silicon Valley, USA
“For me Southeast Asia is the next Silicon Valley and a key driver of economic, social and environmental growth for the next few decades. It is ripe for innovation and cross-cultural leadership is at the forefront of that. As an international leader, I believe the story of Jaberry will give many insights and shape what it means to be a leader in the 21st century. After all, we need a new way of doing business.”
Topic at TLS 2021 I 12th November
Workshop I Social Entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia
Website:https://jasberry.net/

Freunde Indonesiens e.V.
Freunde Indonesiens e.V. I Traditional music and dance from Indonesia
Freunde Indonesiens e.V. was initiated by 9 Indonesian women and founded on 15.01.2017. Since its foundation, Ms Anky Padmadinata has acted as chairperson of the association, which is recognised as a non-profit organisation. In April 2017, Friends Indonesia already had 25 members.
The Freunde Indonesiens association works to promote German-Indonesian cultural exchange, to foster and cultivate international understanding, to deepen human and cultural contacts and relations between German and Indonesian citizens. A further purpose is to promote and cultivate the Indonesian language, tradition and customs.
The purpose of the association is realised by arranging or carrying out cultural and traditional events, such as Indonesian evening, Angklung group and Indonesian dance group, participation in the intercultural city festival of Friedrichshafen, Indonesian independence celebration, cultural excursion or workshop. Furthermore, by supporting the social integration of Indonesian citizens and Indonesian families living in Germany.
Topic at TLS 2021 I 11th & 12th November
Traditional Music and Dance from Indonesia
Website:http://freundeindonesiens.de/

Head of CSR, East Asia & Pacific SAP
Eugene Ho
Eugene Ho | Head of CSR, East Asia & Pacific SAP
Eugene Ho is the Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, East Asia & Pacific, overseeing SAP’s CSR efforts across 18 markets in the Asia Pacific region. He is responsible for grant management, employee volunteerism, and sustainability advocacy, focusing on youth employment and economic empowerment to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Eugene is concurrently appointed Co-Chair of the Sustainability Advocacy Group at the EU-ASEAN Business Council, to promote sustainable development in ASEAN. He is also CoChair of the Steering Committee for Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs East and Southeast Asia. The chapter provides a platform that supports all stakeholders in the Small Growing Business ecosystem through training, knowledge sharing, facilitating introductions, and fostering collaboration among ecosystem actors.
An accomplished corporate affairs leader with more than seventeen years of experience in the Information Technology sector, he is also a respected speaker, having spoken at international conferences and schools about leadership, skills development, sustainability, technology, and volunteerism. Over the last 6 years, he was involved in consultations and programmes with international development organizations including ASEAN, UNICEF, UNDP, UNV, GIZ, Commonwealth Secretariat, and the World Economic Forum on ASEAN.
Eugene was most recently Head of Corporate Affairs and a member of the Senior Executive Team for SAP Southeast Asia (SEA), elevating SAP’s brand reputation, thought leadership and catalyzing social impact across the 16-country market units across SEA. During his tenure, he founded the ASEAN Data Science Explorers (ASEAN DSE) programme in 2017 together with the ASEAN Foundation, impacting more than 30,000 youths, 2,200 educators across 700 IHLs over 5 years.
For me Southeast Asia is home, where I grew up, where I have visited all 10 ASEAN Member States, where I collaborate with the public, private and plural sector to help ASEAN run better and improve people’s lives.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November
Workshop | Skilling a Digital ASEAN

President and Managing Partner
Samuel M. Lam
Samuel M. Lam | President and Managing Partner of Linkage Asia
Mr. Samuel M. Lam is based in Singapore and is the President and Managing Partner of Linkage Asia, a global leadership development consulting firm. One of the leading practitioners in the field of leadership development in Asia, Sam has created some of the most highly regarded leadership development programs for both Asia and global clients. His work also focuses on the development of leadership competency models to support business growth, innovation, performance culture and change. In addition, Sam serves as executive coach and adviser to a number of notable CEOs and senior government officials in Singapore, Europe, and Asia. His clients have included Lenovo, Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline, Prudential, Disney, Philips, Bank of China, Nestle, Deloitte, LVMH, Prime Minister’s Office Singapore and various organs of the Singapore Government. Sam’s expertise spans several areas of leadership development: executive coaching, executive selection, performance improvement of top teams, development of talent pipelines, and assessment of top talent. His special interest is in the area of top team effectiveness, executive derailment and rebound and executive energy. He co-authored Linkage Inc.’s Best Practices in Leadership Development Handbook (Second Edition) with Marshall Goldsmith and David Giber, published by John Wiley in 2009.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November
Keynote | Global Literacy for Leadership
Linkage Asia:https://www.linkageasia.com/ L

Professor, Southeast Asian Studies
Prof Dr Christian von Lübke
Prof Dr Christian von Lübke | Professor, Southeast Asian Studies, HTWG Konstanz
Christian von Lübke is a political economist with particular interest in aspects of democratic transition, elite politics, local conflict, public policy, and socio-economic development in Emerging Southeast Asia. While most of his professional and empirical work has focused on Indonesia and the Philippines, research interests increasingly extend to other parts of the region, including Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan. Before taking up the professorship of Southeast Asian Studies at HTWG Konstanz, Prof. von Lübke was a senior research fellow at Arnold-Bergstraesser Institute, Freiburg (2013-2018), Freiburg University (2011-2013), Asia-Pacific Research Center, Stanford University (2008-2011) and the COE Global Political Economy Program, Waseda University (2007).
His PhD under the supervision of Andrew MacIntyre (Crawford School, ANU) focused on “Local Leadership in Transition – the Political Economy of Subnational Governance in Indonesia”. He worked as technical advisor for the World Bank and GIZ in various parts of rural Indonesia (2001-2006). In 2007, he joined an international team at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) analyzing effects of public-private action on investment and growth.
Dr. von Lübke’s research has been published in a number of international journals, including World Development, Journal of Development Studies, Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies (BIES), Pacific Affairs, Asian Economic Journal, European Journal of East Asian Studies, Contemporary Southeast Asian Affairs, and. He regularly contributes political analyses on Southeast Asia’s contemporary developments to Oxford Analytica, German ministries, and development agencies.
Topic at TLS 2021 | 11th & 12 November
Keynote and Workshop

Senior lecturer
Dr Wawan Mas’udi
Dr Wawan Mas’udi |Senior lecturer, Universitas Gadjah Mada
Dr. Wawan Mas’udi is a senior lecturer at the Department of Politics and Governance, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. As a lecturer, Dr. Wawan Mas’udi teaches several subjects in the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes such as Indonesian Political Analysis, Methodology of Political Science, Representational Politics, and Indonesians Political Studies. As a researcher, his research interests include public services, identity politics and multiculturalism, decentralization, comparative government systems, social welfare, and populism.
Dr. Wawan Mas’udi earned his master degree from the Department of Political Science and Management, Agder University, Norway in 2005 and his PhD from Asia Institute, Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne, Australia in 2017.
Currently, he is serving as Dean of Faculty of Social and Political Sciences Universitas Gadjah Mada, after previously served as Vice Dean on Academics and Student Affairs from December 2016 to April 2021 and Dean of Faculty of Social and Political Sciences on an interim basis from May – October 2021.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 11th November
Moderation panel discussion I How to prepare young leaders for cultural complexity?
Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada:https://fisipol.ugm.ac.id/en/home-english/

Advisor & Coordinator of the ACLP
Zahra Mutiara
Zahra Mutiara | Advisor & Coordinator of the ACLP by the GIZ
Zahra Mutiara has been focusing her career in the intersection between environmental crisis and land uses. Possessing broad and current knowledge, in-depth field experiences, and professional networks in Southeast Asia enables her to be effective in delivering intended research and project outputs. She has been involved vigorously at various level of governance, from field, sub-national up to the multilateral level, during the formulation, implementation and monitoring of conservation, climate mitigation and adaptation initiatives, collaborating with multi-stakeholders. In the context of ASEAN policy, Zahra has been pushing forward the design and conduct of ASEAN Climate Leadership Programme to promote systems thinking, collaborative mindset and cross-sectoral changes in addressing climate issues in land use sectors. The leadership programme is a contribution of Climate Smart Land Use in ASEAN project implemented by GIZ.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November
Workshop I ASEAN Climate Leadership Programme (ACLP) – A glimpse into a three-month virtual leadership journey with the GIZ

Founding faculty member of the Fulbright University Vietnam
Dr NGUYỄN Nam
Dr NGUYỄN Nam | Founding faculty member of the Fulbright University Vietnam
NGUYỄN Nam is a founding faculty member of the Fulbright University Vietnam, now in charge of the Vietnam and Area Studies at the school.
Nguyễn has also conducted his research in East Asian countries, such as Japan (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan Foundation’s Asia Center, International Center for Japanese Studies Nichibunken), and Taiwan (Taiwan Center for Chinese Studies). He also served as a visiting professor in the Department of Languages and Cultures of Southeast Asia, Asian African Institute, Hamburg University during the summer of 2013. His research interests focus on comparative intellectual history/literature (dealing mainly with East Asian countries, including Vietnam), cultural studies, translation studies, and adaptation studies. Nguyễn is also an associate of the Harvard-Yenching Institute.
In the interconnectedness of globalization and with the rise of the ASEAN, Southeast Asian nations have found themselves in an interwoven network of organic relationships more than ever before. Thus, for me, Southeast Asia is an indispensable foundation to understand Vietnam in its historically and contemporarily regional contexts. Southeast Asian youth should recognize mutual connections among their nations as members of a community, from which to see the extension of those connections toward the rest of the world.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 11th November
Panel discussion I How to prepare young leaders for cultural complexity?

Intercultural Trainer, Facilitator, Consultant
Molly Ng
Molly Ng | Intercultural Trainer, Facilitator, Consultant
Molly Ng is a highly accomplished and innovate consultant, trainer and facilitator with more than 16 years of experience in designing and delivering customised training modules to all levels of employees in multi-national companies as well as small and medium-sized enterprises. Her areas of expertise involve cross-cultural competencies, communication skills, team building & development, and cross-cultural leadership. She supports and coaches executives during internationalization process, conducts trainings for organisations in M&A and prepares expats and families for overseas assignments. Her work encompasses Southeast Asia, East Asia and German-speaking Europe. Molly graduated from the University Science of Malaysia, Penang with a B. Sc. Degree in Chemistry, and upon graduation was employed in the R&D in a chemical company, where she had the opportunity to work in the Southeast Asia region. Subsequently, she moved to Germany and received a German Master’s in Southeast Asia Studies and Psychology. Molly possesses strong communication skills and demonstrates acute international business intelligence derived from her early up-bringing in Malaysia and work experiences in multicultural Southeast Asia and Europe.
“For me, Southeast Asia represents a unique kaleidoscope of cultures, one of the most fascinating regions in the world with rich diversity and yet shares very similar fate, values and dreams. A thriving region which often goes unnoticed but offers an expansive opportunity for the future.”
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November
Workshop I Cross-cultural awareness and unconscious biases for SEA Region
Website:http://www.sea-consulting.de

Director, Co-Founder
Natharoun Ngo
Natharoun Ngo I Director of the Center for Khmer Studies (CKS) and Co-founder of Platform-Impact
Natharoun NGO (Mr.) started facilitating business transformation projects with Ernst and Young Consulting and Cap Gemini in Europe early 2000.
He relocated to Asia in 2005 and joined a regional consulting firm supporting impact investment projects, such as for the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Grassroots Business Initiative (GBI). The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) recruited him in 2007 to lead the Growing Sustainable Business (GSB) Initiative, a global program implemented in Cambodia. He was then entrusted to lead UNDP Cambodia Private Sector Development program, then the Poverty Reduction Programs, and later co-led all UNDP Cambodia programs.
He is currently the director of a prominent research center, the Center for Khmer Studies. He also recently co-founded Platform-Impact, an organization innovating in the impact investment space.
Natharoun holds an MBA with a major in Entrepreneurship from Paris XII University (1999), and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School (2015). He is a member of the Asia Society Global Council and an Asia21 Fellow (2013).
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November:
Workshop | Innovating in Southeast Asia: Bringing Impact to Scale
Platform-Impact:https://platform-impact.com/
Center for Khmer Studies (CKS):https://khmerstudies.org/

Founder
Minh Ngoc
Minh Ngoc I Founder of Green Lady Vietnam
Minh Ngoc cares about the environment and women empowerment. Founded Green Lady cloth pad in Vietnam, she wants to promote green living lifestyle and provide education about menstruation and reproductive health to empower women. She believes in the power of women to take care of herself, her family, her community and positively contribute to the society. Green Lady Vietnam is a social enterprise supporting women and the environment. We produce and distribute menstrual products that are good for women’s health and the environment. It also organizes free workshops and events about menstruation and environment for the community so that everyone takes care of themselves and reduces waste to the environment.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November
Workshop | Social Entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia
Green lady Vietnam:https://greenladyvietnam.com/

Senior Advisor
Dr Huong Thi Lan Nguyen
Dr Huong Thi Lan Nguyen | Senior Advisor, Research Capability Development, College of Business and Law, RMIT University, Australia
Dr Huong Nguyen has 20 years of experience in higher education as a middle level academic manager, a researcher, and a senior policy analyst. Her research focuses on academic careers, research leadership, and women empowerment. She serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management. She has published in top-tiered journals including Higher Education and Studies in Higher Education. In 2005, at the age of 27, she was one of the youngest female Deans in Vietnam, leading a 130-staff faculty at Hanoi University of Industry to develop and deliver four impactful employability-related subjects that enhanced students’ skills for getting jobs and sustaining careers. During 2017 – 2020, at Swinburne University of Technology, she led the development and delivery of two new inter-disciplinary units that help enhance over 500 doctoral candidates’ project management and research engagement and impact capabilities. At the same time, she founded and lead iVANet-RDP, an online community that inspired thousands of young Vietnamese research students to learn how to do impactful research. She is currently a Senior Advisor, Research Capability Development at the College of Business and Law, RMIT, Melbourne.
“For me, Southeast Asia is a diverse region that is full of development opportunities with talented, hardworking, and friendly people”.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November
Workshop | Women in Leadership – Perspectives from Southeast Asia
Huong Nguyen, PHD:https://huong-nguyen.com

Author, PhD candidate
Yen Ooi
Yen Ooi I Author and PhD candidate
Yen Ooi is a writer-researcher who explores East and Southeast Asian culture, identity and values. Her projects aim to cultivate cultural engagement in our modern, technology-driven lives. A PhD candidate at Royal Holloway (University of London), she is looking at the development of Chinese science fiction by diaspora writers and writers from Chinese-speaking nations. Her research delves into the critical inheritance of culture that permeates across the genre. Yen is narrative director and writer on Road to Guangdong, a narrative-style driving game. She is also author of Rén: The Ancient Chinese Art of Finding Peace and Fulfilment (non-fiction), Sun: Queens of Earth (novel) and A Suspicious Collection of Short Stories and Poetry (collection). When she’s not writing, Yen lectures and mentors.
“For me Southeast Asia is: For me, Southeast Asia is the smell of incense and air-conditioning, the taste of spices, sweaty skin, traffic jams, a sense of community and diversity.”
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November
Workshop I Southeast Asia: Fluid Identity in Regional Constructs
Website:http://www.yenooi.com

Leadership & Competency Development Specialist
Heike Pratsch
Heike Pratsch | Leadership & Competency Development Specialist at GIZ
Heike Pratsch is a leadership/competency development professional at the Academy for International Cooperation (AIZ)/ GIZ, based in Bonn, Germany. She was many years responsible for the conception and implementation of leadership development programmes for GIZ staff / executives as well for GIZ’s partner organisations around the world. From 2012 to 2015 Heike managed the international Climate Leadership Programme with executives from Indonesia and South Africa, in cooperation with University Witwatersrand and Bogor Agricultural University. She earned a university degree at the University of Passau in 1997 in the interdisciplinary studies of “Kulturwirtschaft” (economics, language and cultural studies).
Her passion is supporting learning processes and creating enabling environments for cooperation, innovation and co-creation in diverse group settings.
For me, South East Asia is a place where tradition meets innovation.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November
Workshop I ASEAN Climate Leadership Programme (ACLP) – A glimpse into a three-month virtual leadership journey with the GIZ

Co-Founder and Director
Aimi Ramlee
Aimi Ramlee | Co-Founder of Southeastasiawomen.org and Co-Founder and Director of Digital Innovation and Growth at Tyne Solutions
Aimi Ramlee is the Co-Founder and Director of Digital Innovation and Growth at Tyne Solutions – an award-winning tech consultancy specializing in bridging gaps in organizations. Aimi also co-founded Southeastasiawomen.org and is a consultant with Fund Boards Council UK. Aimi is an active advocate of gender equality as well as cultural and natural heritage conservation. Aimi is a Co-chair of the US-ASEAN Women’s Leadership Academy Alumni Network. Aimi also regularly speaks on Women’s issues in Brunei and mentors female entrepreneurs through local and international mentoring programs. Prior to Tyne Solutions, Aimi worked in financial publishing in Australia, London, and Hong Kong. In 2017, she was selected as one of Lyfe Media’s 33 Brunei Women Under 33 to Watch and an Australian-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Emerging Leader. Aimi is part of the UN Young Professionals Program, Incoming Climate Reality Project Leader, and contributing designer to the UN Women + World Design Organization, Generation Equality Global Design Challenge. Aimi was also selected to be part of the inaugural cohort of Obama Foundation Leaders: Asia Pacific 2020, a 2020 Women of the Future: Southeast Asia shortlist, and she is a trained Climate Reality Leader.
“Aimi Ramlee believes that technology and remote working are the keys to improving economic distribution to more remote communities, but also as a major tool to enable women to access work and financial freedom that can be out of reach for those having to care for dependents or are confined to their homes. Through her work developing technology for companies to enable remote working, she hopes to normalize unconventional work environments that can not only help improve women’s lives but also reduce the environmental impact of the traditional workplace.”
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November
Workshop | Women in Leadership – Perspectives from Southeast Asia
Website Tyne Solutions:http://www.tyne-solutions.com
Website Southeastasiswomen:http://www.southeastasiawomen.org

Senior Practice Expert
Vibhas Ratanjee
Vibhas Ratanjee I Senior Practice Expert, Organizational and Leadership Development, at Gallup
Vibhas Ratanjee is a senior practice expert based in Gallup’s Irvine, California office. He specializes in organizational development, culture change and executive-level engagement strategies, including strengths-based leadership and succession management. Vibhas is also an executive coach and leadership consultant to senior executives and CEOs. He works extensively in the healthcare, retail and financial services sectors.
Vibhas serves as the lead consultant to many of Gallup’s top clients in the U.S., Europe, and Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions. Since joining Gallup in 2001, he has also worked in Gallup’s New Delhi, Bangkok and Singapore offices.
A major focus of Vibhas’s work involves using large group change management techniques in organizational development, business processes, brand and customer engagement, employee engagement, and vision, mission and values consulting for private and government organizations. Vibhas also developed Gallup’s collaborative visioning approach to large-scale change management. Vibhas is a well-known speaker and author and has contributed several articles on leadership and organizational development as well as how new technology will alter the future of work and the customer experience. His writing has been featured in several global publications, including the Gallup Business Journal and the Harvard Business Review. He is also a contributor to the American Journal of Managed Care.
Feel free to check out his article in the Harvard Business Review: “Fixing the Leadership Gap in Southeast Asia” by Andrzej Pyrka and Vibhas Ratanjee in the Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2015/05/fixing-the-leadership-gap-in-southeast-asia“
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November
Keynote I Fixing the Leadership Gap in Southeast Asia

CEO RRPS
Andreas Schell
Andreas Schell I CEO Rolls-Royce Power Systems, Germany
Andreas Schell has been holding the position of President of the Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems, Chief Executive Officer of Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG and Chairman of the Board of Directors of its subsidiary Rolls-Royce Solutions in Friedrichshafen since 1 January 2017. Since then he has launched the strategy and initiatives to transform Rolls-Royce Power Systems from an engine manufacturer to an integrated provider of sustainable energy and propulsion solutions. He has turned Power Systems into a pioneer for low emission technologies and products within Rolls-Royce group, committed to achieve -35 % net zero carbon emissions from its product portfolio by 2030 and achieving net zero carbon by 2050. Andreas Schell is committed to innovation in cutting-edge climate friendly technology and is passionate about professional management responsibility. Embracing change in a global business environment that is constantly changing is absolutely essential, in Andreas Schell’s view, if companies wish to remain competitive. Andreas Schell came to Rolls-Royce from United Technologies Corporation (UTC) Aerospace Systems in the United States, where he was Vice President Digital Strategy, having previously held the position of President of the Actuation & Propeller Systems business unit and President of the Electric Systems. Born in 1969, Andreas Schell has a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Clausthal University of Technology in Germany and an executive MBA from Michigan State University in the United States.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 11th November
Welcome Address | Welcome to the Transcultural Leadership Summit
Website:https://www.rolls-royce.com/

Group CEO of Common Purpose
Adirupa Sengupta
Adirupa Sengupta I Group CEO of Common Purpose
Adirupa is Group Chief Executive of Common Purpose. She has been with the organization since 2001 and has held a variety of roles over the years including CEO of Common Purpose Asia-Pacific, during which time she started a global hub out of Singapore and grew it to be a major player in the leadership field in Asia-Pacific.
Adirupa has been working in the leadership development space for over 20 years. She has a passion for developing talent and connecting people from different backgrounds. She has extensive knowledge and experience of working across different countries, cities and cultures to help leaders learn to cross boundaries in order to tackle complex problems. Her TEDx talk speaks to her passion for cross-boundary leadership.
Over the years, she has worked with major organizations and institutions and driven some key partnerships for Common Purpose including the American Express Foundation, BNP Paribas, GE, DBS, FWD, the UK Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office, the ASEAN Foundation, and RMIT University to deliver leadership programmes for different generations across the world. These include the SG100 Young Leaders Programme (with the National Youth Council of Singapore), CSCLeaders (with The HRH Duke of Edinburgh Commonwealth Study Conferences (UK Fund)) and the ASEAN Leaders programme (with the ASEAN Foundation).
Adirupa grew up in India where she completed her Bachelor’s degree before reading for an MPhil in International Relations at St. John’s College, Cambridge. She is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School’s High Potential Leadership Programme.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 11th November
Keynote I Navigating Culture and Leadership Development in Southeast Asia
Company website:https://commonpurpose.org/about-us/common-purpose/

President & Managing Director SAP South-East Asia
Verena Siow
Verena Siow I President & Managing Director SAP South East Asia
Verena Siow is the President and Managing Director for SAP Southeast Asia (SEA). Her responsibilities include leading SAP’s sustainable growth in SEA, orchestrating the efforts of more than 4,000 colleagues in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and other emerging markets to help businesses and governments run better and improve people’s lives. As the first female Managing Director for SAP Indochina and first local female Managing Director for SAP South East Asia, Verena is an accomplished leader with more than 23 years in sales, business development and start-up experience in the technology sector across Asia and Americas and had played a significant role in building businesses from the ground up with start-ups.
She is a strong advocate of driving diversity and inclusion in the technology sector to promote different perspectives and improve business outcomes. Prior to her current role, Verena Siow was the Managing Director, SAP Indochina responsible for scaling the business. With her focus on building trust and shared success with employees, partners and customers, SAP Indochina has achieved strong growth and high leadership trust and employee engagement scores. Prior to that, Verena was the Managing Director of Strategic Conglomerates, SAP Southeast Asia, and successfully drive Go-To-Market strategies and the business for the top Conglomerates across Southeast Asia with the vision to build sustainable relationships and transformation roadmaps with these lighthouse customers in ASEAN. Under her leadership, the Strategic Conglomerates team have built executive-level partnerships and innovation roadmaps with the largest family owned conglomerates in the region.
She has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Budapest University of Economic Sciences. She is currently based in Singapore.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 11th November
Panel Discussion I Transcultural Leadership in Southeast Asia

Chairman MVV Group (of Companies)
Nguyễn Thanh Sơn
Nguyễn Thanh Sơn | Chairman MVV Group of Companies
Nguyen Thanh Son is a serial entrepreneur, lecturer, author and communications expert.
Son actively invests in communications, education, healthcare and technology. He is the founder and/or chairman of T&A, the biggest PR agency in Vietnam; Sage, a communications and branding academy; GPA, an English training company; Blue Productions, a movie production company; Forinco, a cancer treatment clinic chain; Amigo Pharma, a pharmaceutical company….Most recently, he founded/invested in Everlearn, Vietnam’s leading Learning Experience Management platform, Doctor Anywhere Vietnam, a telemedicine company; FastGo, a Vietnamese version of Uber and Business Wire Vietnam, a newswire service platform; ConsultantAnywhere, a teleconsulting company; TopClass, an ASEAN online learning platform and MVV Uni, a MOOC learning platform.
In total, Son founded or co-founded 20 businesses.
T&A Communications was later acquired by WPP, the world biggest marketing communications company. Amigo Pharma was acquired by Cuu Long Pharma. Doctor Anywhere has raised 40 millions US dollars in serie A and serie B funding.
For almost 16 years (1996-2012), Son worked as Trade Representative for Oklahoma Department of Commerce in ASEAN countries.
A native of Hanoi, he graduated from the Moscow Institute of International Relations with a master in International Journalism in 1994.
Son is a USIS Business Fellow (Class of 2002) and a Rockefeller Fellow (Class 2005). In 2006, he received the prestigious Asia Leadership Fellow from Japanese Government and Japan Foundation (he is the youngest fellow in ALFP’s history). He is also a famous literary critic, art and movie columnist.
In 2012, Son founded Global Shapers Hochiminh City Hub, a World Economic Forum community of bright young business and political leaders. He also serves as an advisor to Regional Board of Advisors of the Asia-Pacific Media Alliance for Social Awareness-a media and advertising industry led initiative for building the awareness on social development issues and achieving behaviour change; and as a mentor for Endeavor, the global high-impact entrepreneurship movement.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 11th November
Panel Discussion I Transcultural Leadership in Southeast Asia
MVV Academy Website:https://mvvacademy.edu.vn/?lang=en
MVV Website:https://mvveverlearn.edu.vn/?lang=en

Managing Director Rolls Royce Solutions Asia & Vice President Asia Pacific
Giovanni Spadaro
Giovanni Spadaro | Managing Director Rolls Royce Solutions Asia & Vice President Asia Pacific
Giovanni Spadaro (Managing Director Rolls Royce Solutions Asia/Vice President Asia Pacific)
Born in 1974, Giovanni Spadaro has a BA Degree in Business Administration from the Duale Hochschule BW in Ravensburg, Germany. Giovanni Spadaro joined Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems in 1997 and since then has worked in various global sales and service roles mainly in the Governmental/Defense application. Being a Director for Power Systems since 2009, he then moved to Singapore in September 2020 as Managing Director for Rolls Royce Solutions Asia and Vice President for the Asia Pacific regions. In this capacity he is responsible for three subsidiaries and eight distributors.
Giovanni Spadaro is a strong believer in growing market shares by positioning Rolls-Royce Power Systems as a provider of integrated sustainable solutions customized to the specific needs of its customers. He is convinced that the company’s ambitious PS2030 strategy and its Net Zero agenda for the climate-neutral future can only succeed if all employees are on board and committed to these programs. Giovanni Spadaro’s priorities for the next years are therefore to instill his colleagues in the region with a winning team mindset and to develop the necessary technical capabilities in order to successfully realize the company’s plans.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 11th November
Panel Discussion I Transculturality in Action – How do Transcultural Leaders Operate in Southeast Asia?

Co-founder and CEO of Good Food Community
Charlene Tan
Charlene Tan I Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Good Food Community
Charlene Tan is a co-founder of Good Food Community, a social enterprise that connects small-holder farmers with urban consumers through an alternative distribution system called community shared agriculture. Intending to be useful in building a civilization, she pursued a degree in civil engineering at the University of the Philippines in Diliman. Unfortunately, working with words like “development” and “sustainability” in the non-profit sector led her to interrogate what this might mean. She took a few courses in philosophy, learned to bike, breathe, compost, cook, and read a few dangerous books. When she is not completely subsumed, she sees Good Food Community as a sort of praxis to the evolving questions of how to live. Charlene believes that the way we eat, the way we trade and the way we produce our food are all intimately linked in a future of hope.
“For me, Southeast Asia is like a tropical forest or marine sanctuary, full of biocultural diversity to learn from and protect as well as complex histories of community, creativity and resistance.”
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November
Workshop | Social Entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia
Good Food Community:https://www.goodfoodcommunity.com/

Consultant & Chair, Dept. of Asia Pacific Studies
Dr. Elizabeth T. Urgel
Dr Elizabeth T. Urgel | Consultant & Chair, Dept. of Asia Pacific Studies, University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P)
Dr. Elizabeth T. Urgel is a full-time consultant, faculty and Chair of the Department of Asia Pacific Studies of the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), Pasig City, Philippines. An area studies specialist and a practitioner of interdisciplinary approach to teaching and research, Dr. Urgel teaches Southeast Asian Studies, Chinese Studies, and Asia Pacific Societies. In the graduate school of Asian Center, University of the Philippines (UP) – Diliman, Dr. Urgel handled courses on International Relations of Southeast Asia and on Culture and Society in Southeast Asia. She also taught Organizational Communication in UP Manila. In 2018, Dr. Urgel was a Visiting Professor at the Universidad de Navarra, Spain where she taught Leadership and Economic Development in Asia.
She earned her Master of Arts in Asian Studies and PhD in Philippines Studies major in Anthropology, Psychology, Political Science, and Philippinology from the University of the Philippines (UP), Diliman Campus. Both her master’s thesis on the ASEAN Chambers of Commerce and Industry (awarded as Outstanding Thesis for External Relations) and doctoral dissertation on four social organizations’ concept of success were published by UP.
As a researcher, she has conducted studies on her fields of interests covering Asian societies and cultures, international and cross-cultural relations and education, organizations, regionalism, migration, environment, leadership, political economy, and lately, creative industries. Many of her research findings were presented in national and international conferences while some landed in publication. She has also shown versatility as a writer, as evidenced by the books she wrote for elementary, high school and college levels, an example of which is the student manual being used in Southeast Asian Studies course which she teaches at UA&P.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 11th November
Panel Discussion I How to prepare young leaders for cultural complexity?
Website of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), Pasig City, Philippines::https://uap.asia

Designer
Martin Vidanes
Martin Vidanes I Multimedia designer
Martin is a multimedia designer from the Philippines. He previously worked at the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) as a project executive and eventually as a communications executive who supported the organisation’s communication and media efforts across Asia and Europe, especially during a global pandemic. He now works at Reed Exhibitions as a creative specialist, and he brings with him his experience in graphic design and marketing from a variety of industries. He is well-versed in both print and digital work, and specialises in graphic motion design and web design. In the last ten years, he also worked in the editing room of several award-winning Filipino ‘indie’ films. Martin received his undergraduate degree in Art Studies from the University of the Philippines.
“For me, Southeast Asia is what the people who live in it make of it.”
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November
Workshop I Southeast Asia: Fluid Identity in Regional Constructs
Website:http://www.peoplearevisual.com

Prof Dr Josef Wieland
Prof Dr Josef Wieland I Director of the Leadership Excellence Institute Zeppelin and Founder of the Transcultural Caravan
Prof. Josef Wieland holds the Chair of Institutional Economics, Organisational Governance, Integrity Management and Transcultural Leadership and is the Director of the Leadership Excellence Institute Zeppelin | LEIZ. An expert in the field of compliance and business ethics for more than 30 years, he initiated the Forum Compliance & Integrity (FCI) and chairs the Advisory Board of the German Network of Business Ethics (DNWE). He is a member of, inter alia, the national CSR Forum, the jury for the German government’s CSR Award, and the Advisory Council for Sustainability of the government of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. Josef Wieland developed the theory of Relational Economics, and he is the founder and academic director of the “Transcultural Caravan”.
Topic at the TLS: Keynote

Leadership Consultant and Conference Speaker
Andre de Wit
Andre de Wit | Leadership Consultant and Conference Speaker specialized in relationship strategy, leadership and organizational culture or just Leadership Consultant and Conference Speaker
Andre de Wit worked over the last 20 years in management & CEO positions for IKEA, National Geographic and Metro. Andre has been leading the Learning function for the Metro group in Germany (240.000 staff) and Carlsberg in Denmark (46.000 staff). Within these positions he carried the responsibility for Leadership- and Functional development of executives, managers and co-workers.
Andre is Dean from the Leadership Academy Amsterdam. This organization is focused on designing and delivering leadership interventions and Leadership development programs. Leadership Academy Amsterdam is specialized in the alignment of Leadership and Organizational culture with the strategic plan of an organization.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November
Workshop I ASEAN Climate Leadership Programme (ACLP) – A glimpse into a three-month virtual leadership journey with the GIZ
We are happy to announce our moderators for the panel discussions and workshops. In alphabetical order.

Prof Dr Julika Baumann Montecinos

Dr Lennart Brand

Martin A. Ciesielski

Katharina Koerth

Christopher Köhler

David Meussling

Elena Paß

Annika Phuong Dinh

Dr Yolande Steenkamp

Laura Trattner

Sabine Wiesmüller

Professor Intercultural Management
Prof Dr Julika Baumann Montecinos
Prof Dr Julika Baumann Montecinos | Professor of Intercultural Management at Furtwangen University and member of the steering team of the Transcultural Caravan, Germany
Julika Baumann Montecinos graduated in Intercultural Business and Cultural Studies from the University of Passau, including various stays in China, India, the Dominican Republic and Brazil, and did her PhD at the University of Hohenheim’s Department of Business Ethics. She pursued a career in the automotive industry before moving into academia, where she headed a research group on Transcultural Competence at Zeppelin University’s Leadership Excellence Institute. As a developer of international teaching, training, research and networking formats, she focuses on a relational view on the success factors of cooperation in contexts of cultural complexity.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 11th November
Moderation panel discussion I How to prepare young leaders for cultural complexity?

Managing Director LEIZ
Dr Lennart Brand
Dr Lennart Brand I Managing Director of the Leadership Excellence Institute Zeppelin | LEIZ and Managing Director of the Lake Constance Innovation Cluster Digital Transformation, Germany
Dr Brand pursued a career in the aviation industry before taking his D.Phil. at the University of Oxford (St. John’s College). He joined Zeppelin University in 2012 and was appointed Managing Director of the LEIZ in 2015. Lennart Brand serves on the Oxford University Alumni Board and the Academic Board (DACH) of SAP SE. He (co-)represents Zeppelin University at the global G20 network of private universities which places a strong emphasis on liberal-arts education worldwide. A literary historian by trade, his research interests focus on German literature of the early 20th century, in particular Ernst Jünger and Karl Kraus.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 11th November
Moderation panel discussion I Transcultural Leadership in Southeast Asia

Keynote speaker, coach, facilitator and improv actor
Martin A. Ciesielski
Martin A. Ciesielski | Keynote speaker, coach, facilitator and improv actor
Martin A. Ciesielski is a keynote speaker, coach, facilitator and improv actor. He owns a Master´s degree on communication science and media psychology from Freie Universität Berlin/Germany.
As the co-founder and managing director of medienMOSAIK he consults organizations in the field of digital transformation.
He also invents and creates artistic interventions for societal and organizational transformations.
His latest project is the school of nothing – the reason why he calls himself a head of nothing on LinkedIn.
“For me, Southeast Asia is much better prepared to face the near futures than Europe.“
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November:
Moderation | Innovating in Southeast Asia: Bringing Impact to Scale

Journalist
Katharina Koerth
Katharina Koerth | Journalist
Katharina Koerth is a freelance journalist and alumna of Zeppelin University. Since founding a student debating club in her first semester in 2013, she has gained extensive experience in event moderation. On stage Katharina enjoys creating space for her guests’ expertise, open discussions as well as audience participation. After graduating from Zeppelin University with a B.A. in Sociology, Politics and Economics in 2018, she worked as a news and business journalist for Spiegel.de, one of Germany’s big online newspapers. In 2020 she co-authored a scientific article published in the SAGE journal “Media, War & Conflict” that examined how German TV shows framed the Ukraine crisis. Having lived in France, England, Poland and Japan, Katharina is curious about cultural exchange and transculturality. She is currently based in Munich.
Topic at TLS 2020 – 11th & 12th November
Moderation

Head of the Lake Constance Innovation Cluster
Christopher Köhler
Christopher Köhler |Head of the Lake Constance Innovation Cluster at Zeppelin University
Dr Christopher Köhler is Deputy Head of the Lake Constance Innovation Cluster at Zeppelin University, researcher at the Leadership Excellence Institute Zeppelin and research fellow at the Centre for Digital Transformation at the University of Agder (Norway).
Dr Köhler studied at the Universities of Mannheim, Constance and Bern. He holds a master´s degree in politics and public administration with a major in quantitative methods and a PhD in Economics from Zeppelin University.
After graduating in 2016 he worked as data scientist within the field of process mining.
Since 2017 he headed several research projects within the subject fields of digitalization and innovation. Additionally, his research focuses on digital governance, process optimization within enterprises and quantitative methods.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November:
Moderation | Skilling a Digital ASEAN

Student Project Lead
David Meussling
David Meussling | TLS Student Project Lead
David Meussling studies Corporate Management & Economics in the fifth semester at Zeppelin University and in his studies, he now wants to focus on the question of how to successfully develop business models with a social purpose. He is employed at the Leadership Excellent Institute Zeppelin and together with a fellow student, takes the student project lead of the Transcultural Leadership Summit 2021.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 11 & 12th November
Student Project Lead

Student Project Lead
Elena Paß
Elena Paß I Student Project Lead TLS
Elena Paß is currently studying Sociology, Politics & Economics at Zeppelin University. Since 2020 she is part of the student project team, that organizes the Transcultural Leadership Summit. Her main interest lies in sustainable and social Transformation & interdisciplinary Cooperation. Apart from her engagement in the organization of the TLS, she is a member of the student initiative Zukunftsbüro which aims to make Zeppelin University and the surrounding area more sustainable. Elena dreams of a world where people stick together despite perceived differences and work together for a socially sustainable and peaceful future.
“For me Southeast Asia is a region from which we can learn a lot about successful cooperation and innovation due to its cultural diversity and complexity.”
Topic at TLS 2021 –11 & 12th November
Student Project Lead TLS

Student and moderator
Annika Phuong Dinh
Annika Phuong Dinh | Student and moderator
Annika Phuong Dinh has a transcultural story herself: as the first-born child of former Vietnamese guest workers in the GDR, she grew up mainly in East Germany, but fondly remembers the years she spent in Vietnam during her childhood. The exposure to different cultures and languages motivated her to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies at the University of Hamburg, with study visits to Bandung and Bali, Indonesia. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Politics, Administration & International Relations at Zeppelin University, with a completed stay at SciencesPo Paris, and is currently conducting research on transcultural leadership in Belt and Road Initiative companies as part of the Transcultural Caravan at the Leadership Excellence Institute Zeppelin. Annika is the student content team leader for this year’s Transcultural Leadership Summit.
For me, Southeast Asia is a region that is severely underrepresented in Western contexts, but holds incredible potential, where I consider myself lucky to have been born, and which I call my second home.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 11th November
Co-moderation panel discussion I How to prepare young leaders for cultural complexity?

Senior Lecturer
Dr Yolande Steenkamp
Dr Yolande Steenkamp | Senior Lecturer University of Pretoria
Dr Yolande Steenkamp is a senior lecturer at the Albert Luthuli Leadership Institute (ALLI) at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and manager of the South African national network of the SDSN (Sustainable Development Solutions Network). Her approach to research is largely interdisciplinary and aimed at addressing contemporary challenges. In interdisciplinary projects on leadership, she contributes on questions of ethics, meaning, and value, as well as collaboration for sustainable development. She has visited Zeppelin Universität, Friedrichshafen on several occasions and is a friend of the Transcultural Caravan.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November
Moderation Workshop I Social Entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia

Student and moderator
Laura Trattner
Laura Trattner | Student and moderator
Laura Trattner graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in “Sociology, Politics and Economics” from Zeppelin University in July 2021. During her studies, she increasingly focused on sociology, with a particular interest in the role of women in the family and in organisations. During her semester abroad at Örebro University (Sweden), she had the opportunity to get to know innovative aspects of “Gender Studies”. She was also employed at the Leadership Excellence Institute Zeppelin for four semesters and, together with a fellow student, took on the student project lead of the Transcultural Leadership Summit 2019 “Europe”. Laura Trattner has been studying Social Innovation at the FH Salzburg since October 2021.
For me, Southeast Asia is the home of three inspiring women I am glad to engage with and learn from during our Workshop „Women in Leadership“.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November
Moderation workshop I Women in Leadership – Perspectives from Southeast Asia

Head of the Lake Constance Innovation Cluster
Sabine Wiesmüller
Sabine Wiesmüller | Head of the Lake Constance Innovation Cluster at Zeppelin University
Sabine Wiesmüller is Head of the Lake Constance Innovation Cluster at Zeppelin University and researcher at the Leadership Excellence Institute Zeppelin, particularly focusing on Relational Governance, AI Governance, and Business Ethics. Having successfully completed her doctoral candidacy at the Wittenberg Centre for Global Ethics, Sabine Wiesmüller examined forms and interactions of Relational AI Governance in her doctoral thesis. In both, her work at the innovation cluster and her role as a researcher, Sabine Wiesmüller is interested in the effects of Artificial Intelligence and exponential technologies on society and new avenues for their suitable governance.
Topic at TLS 2021 – 12th November:
Moderation | Skilling a Digital ASEAN