EXPERT TEAM
GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS
Our group of experts is one of a kind. Our media training for C-suite executives combines different points of view from the worlds of business, politics, media and society, enabling us to create an effective course that is tailored to you. We will work together with you to identify your challenges, set your goals and craft your messages.
Our expert team is where worlds collide to create something greater than the sum of its parts. Renowned journalists, highly accomplished communication experts, award-winning directors and top-notch coaches bring their decades of executive experience to the table, joining forces to provide you with a 360-degree perspective and engineer your success.
© Portraitfotos: Laurence Chaperon
CONTACT
Korndörffer Kommunikationsberatung
Sven H. Korndörffer
Rosselstrasse 27 | 65193 Wiesbaden
Koenigstrasse 29 | 53115 Bonn
Gotzinger Strasse 19 | 81371 Munich
Heiligegeistkirchplatz 1 | 10178 Berlin
GERMANY
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STRENGTHS
- ESG
- Sustainability
- Compliance
- Data ethics
- Corporate governance
- Event moderating
- Keynote speaking
PROF. DR CORDULA A. MECKENSTOCK
- Lawyer and economist with international experience and a focus on ESG and sustainability, corporate responsibility, human resources, data privacy and data ethics, internal audit and risk management
- Extensive management experience in the pharmaceutical, energy, construction, retail, industrial and consultancy sectors, with positions held at renowned global corporations
- Most recently Chief People, Culture & ESG Officer at BayWa Group (2023 – 2024)
- Chief Responsibility Officer at Grünenthal Pharma Group with global responsibility for compliance, internal audit, data privacy and data ethics, and ESG and sustainability (2018 – 2023)
- Global Compliance Officer, Compliance Director and Compliance Manager at Vestas Wind Systems, BSN medical Group, Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics and Bilfinger SE, with experience in private-equity and carve-out environments and setting up global compliance departments across all relevant global markets (2011 – 2018)
- Lawyer at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, providing advice on international anti-trust and anti-corruption compliance (2011)
- Advisor in the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology’s aerospace department: responsible for, inter alia, coordinating the Airbus-Boeing WTO dispute and liaising with the European Commission on subsidy matters (2010 – 2011)
- Keynote speaker, host and jury member at the 2023 and 2024 World Economic Forum, at the 2023 and 2024 Digital Future Challenge under the patronage of the Federal Minister for Digital and Transport, and the 2024 IFA Trade Show
- Honorary Professor at Leipzig University for compliance and international criminal law (since 2020)
- Executive MBA from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland (2023)
- Doctorate in law with a focus on “Investment Protection and Human Rights Regulation” (summa cum laude) (2011)
- Articled clerkship in Hamburg, Berlin and Istanbul, followed by the second state examination in law (2006 – 2008)
- Master of Laws in international human rights law and WTO studies (with distinction, Dean’s List) from Georgetown Law School in Washington, D.C. (2005 – 2006)
- University studies in law in Münster, Brussels, San Francisco and Rome, followed by the first state examination in law (1999 – 2005)
STRENGTHS
- Strategic communications
- Crisis communications
- Public affairs
- Board and executive branding
- Event moderating
- Keynote speaker
DR KATHRIN DEGMAIR
- Experienced executive and advisor at the C-level with expertise in business, politics and the media
- Communications, media and public affairs expert | Reputation and crisis manager | Journalist
- Most recently Senior Advisor for German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party chair Friedrich Merz (2023)
- Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU): Head of Strategic Planning and Communications (2022)
- Boston Consulting Group: Global Director Communications / Marketing and Director Marketing & Communications EMESA (Europe, Middle East, South America, Africa) (2021 – 2022)
- German broadcaster ARD (Bayerischer Rundfunk): Member of the Executive Board under the direction of Ulrich Wilhelm | Manager of the northern Bavarian part of the broadcaster | Head of the Franconia Studio division (2014 – 2019)
- ARD (Bayerischer Rundfunk): Managing Director of the Board of Directors of Bayerischer Rundfunk and Manager of the Broadcasting Council’s and Board of Directors’ offices (2007 – 2014) | Personal Advisor to the Chairs of the Board of Directors, President of the State Parliament Alois Glück and President of the State Parliament Barbara Stamm
- Editor, host and manager of radio broadcasting service (news and politics) | Bayerischer Rundfunk (2002 – 2007)
- Reporter/freelance editor | Süddeutsche Zeitung, Munich (1999 – 2001)
- Reporter/freelance editor | Abendzeitung, Munich (1998 – 1999)
- Freelance work for magazines including Focus (1998 – 2003)
- Coach-Akademie Schweiz, Switzerland: Certified qualification as a values-oriented systemic coach and consultant (CAS/ISO/ICI)
- Graduate of Deutschen Journalistenschule (German training institution for journalists)
- Degree in journalism and doctorate (Dr phil.) from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (magna cum laude)
STRENGTHS
- Event moderating
PATRICIA WIEDEMEYER
- Correspondent at German broadcaster ZDF’s Berlin studio (since the end of 2013)
Host of “Heute im Parlament” (Today at the Parliament) - Correspondent at ZDF’s Brussels studio (2010 – 2013)
- Deputy and Provisional Head of ZDF’s North Rhine-Westphalia studio (2002 – 2010)
- Domestic Policy Editor, ZDF Mainz (2000 – 2002)
Host of “Heute in Deutschland” (Today in Germany) - Editor at ZDF’s Bonn studio (1988-1999)
- Participant in Arthur F. Burns Fellowship, a US–German exchange programme for journalists (1988)
- Trainee at ZDF Mainz (1987 – 1988)
- Internship at ZDF Bonn and at the newspaper “Die WELT” ( 1986 – 1987)
- Studied law for two semesters, then switched to history, politics and English studies (1979 – 1986), graduated with a Master’s degree
Patricia Wiedemeyer works as freelancer for Korndörffer Kommunikationsberatung on the basis of individual project assignments.
STRENGTHS
- Political analyst
DR RAINER SONTOWSKI
- More than 35 years in various political and administrative positions in Germany at both the federal and the state level
- Former State Secretary (since April 2018)
- State Secretary at Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (2014 – 2017) and at Germany’s Federal Foreign Office (2017 – 2018), while also being Head of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office; Member of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Bahn (2014)
- Office Manager for SPD party chair Sigmar Gabriel at the SPD party headquarters (2009 – 2013)
- Head of the Central and General Policies Department of Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (2005 – 2009)
- Head of the Press and Public Relations Department at the Press and Information Office of the German Federal Government (2003-2005)
- Secretary to the SPD parliamentary group in the Lower Saxony state parliament (2003)
- Head of the Lower Saxony State Representation Office in Berlin (2002 – 2003)
- Office Manager for SPD party chair Gerhard Schröder at the SPD party headquarters (1999 – 2002)
- Head of the Political Planning Section of the Federal Chancellery (1999)
- Advisor and Section Head at the Minister for Education and Culture’s office (1994 – 1998); Head of Parliamentary and Cabinet Affairs, Strategic Planning and General Coordination in Lower Saxony’s Ministry for Education and Culture (1998 – 1999)
- Research assistant to member of the German parliament Karl-Hermann Haack (1987 – 1990);
Advisor to the SPD parliamentary group in the German parliament (1990), and to the SPD parliamentary group in the Lower Saxony state parliament (1990 – 1994) - Master’s studies of politics and history at the University of Hanover (1981 – 1987), doctorate in 1989
STRENGTHS
- Event moderating
- Keynote speaking
DR NICOLA ALBRECHT
- Multi-award-winning television journalist, documentary filmmaker, book author
- Political correspondent and Head of German broadcaster ZDF’s Brandenburg studio (since September 2020)
- Middle East Correspondent and Head of ZDF’s Tel Aviv studio (2014 – 2020)
| Responsible for reporting from Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan and Cyprus - Far East Correspondent and Deputy Head of ZDF’s Beijing studio (2011 – 2014)
| Responsible for reporting from China, Japan, North and South Korea, Taiwan, Micronesia, Mongolia and the Philippines - International war and crisis reporter for ZDF (2009 – 2011)
| Focal points: Arab Spring, terrorist attacks in various places from Moscow to Kabul - Reporter for German broadcaster WDR’s North Rhine-Westphalia studio in Bonn (2008 – 2009)
- Reporter for ZDF’s North Rhine-Westphalia studio (2005 – 2009)
- Reporter for ZDF Mainz (2001 – 2005)
- Master’s studies and doctorate at the Universities of Bonn and Paris (1994 – 2006)
- Publications: “Mein Israel und ich. Entlang der Road 90″ (My Israel and I. Along Road 90) | Polyglott, Munich (2021)
“Verschollen im Meer der Medien. Kafkas Romanfragment ‘Amerika’.
Zur Rekonstruktion und Deutung eines Medienkomplexes” (Lost in the sea of media. Kafka’s unfinished novel ‘Amerika’. Reconstruction and interpretation of a media complex) | Universitätsverlag Winter, Heidelberg (2007) - Awards: Ulrich Wickert-Preis für Kinderrechte (Ulrich Wickert Award for Children’s Rights), Katholischer Medienpreis (Journalism Award of the Catholic Church in Germany), Finalistin Deutscher Medienpreis für Entwicklungspolitik (German Media Award for Development Politics)
Dr Nicola Albrecht works as freelancer for Korndörffer Kommunikationsberatung on the basis of individual project assignments.
STRENGTHS
- Board and executive branding
- Keynote speaking
KIRSTEN HARMS
- German stage director and general manager at various opera houses
- Studied musicology at the University of Hamburg and music theatre direction at the Hamburg University of Music and Performing Arts
- One of the first young female directors in Germany to succeed as an opera director at the end of the 1980s
- Lecturer on voice-over and theatre directing at the Hamburg University of Music and Performing Arts on the “Musical theatre directing” course (1992 – 1994)
- General Manager at the Kiel Opera, which became one of the most successful medium-sized opera houses in the German-speaking world under her direction (1995-2003)
- Stage Director at the Deutsche Oper Berlin (2003)
- General Manager at the Deutsche Oper Berlin (2004)
The first woman worldwide to hold the position of general manager at a major opera house
| Renowned for rediscovering great operas by outlawed and persecuted composers
| During her time at Deutsche Oper Berlin, tickets sold rose by 22% and revenues doubled - Stage director in France, Italy and Sweden
- Vice-President of the International Women’s Forum Germany (seit 2016)
STRENGTHS
- Board and executive branding
- Keynote speaking
PROF. DR CLAUS RICHTER
- Multi-award-winning television journalist
- As a correspondent, he has extensive experience abroad – including in crisis zones – as well as domestic experience in investigative journalism
- Professor of Television Journalism at the University of Television and Film Munich (2014 – 2022)
- Head of German broadcaster ZDF’s investigative TV show Frontal 21 (2001 – 2014)
- Chief Reporter at ZDF (1998 – 2000)
- Foreign correspondent for German broadcasters ARD and ZDF in Warsaw, New York, East Berlin, Singapore and Moscow (1981 – 2001)
- Editor and reporter for German broadcaster WDR’s TV show MONITOR (1976 – 1981)
- Graduation and doctorate at the University of Bonn (1974 – 1976)
- Studied German and political sciences at the Universities of Bonn, Heidelberg and Mannheim (1969 – 1974)
STRENGTHS
- Board und executive branding
- Keynote speaking
SEVERIN VON HOENSBROECH
- Psychologist, actor, director and passionate organic farmer
- Coaches senior politicians and top managers whenever they need to make an impact, e.g. in speeches, appearances, interviews or on television | For example, he crafted the speech that made Armin Laschet CDU party chair
- Many appearances on theatre stages and in front of the camera
- Teaches in the international programmes of various universities, including Otto Beisheim School of Management (WHU) in Vallendar and the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) in Berlin
- Considers himself above all a craftsman because everything – from an inspiring performance and a captivating story to a gripping speech and a perfect pitch – requires, next to a little talent, some technical tools: the knowledge of how language works, the ability to apply rhetorical methods and the communication know-how
- Wrote the book “Das Peripetie Prinzip – Die Kunst wirksamer Führung” (The peripeteia principle – The art of effective leadership) together with his brothers
- Tries to show how things can be done differently at Türnich Castle in Kerpen; is passionate about topics like permaculture, agroforestry, market gardening and regenerative agriculture
- Regularly hosts the “Masterclass Sustainable Leadership” for top managers of international companies there
- Hosts a podcast with film-maker Valentin Thurn named “Plan C – weil Plan B hat eh nicht funktioniert” (Plan C – Because plan B didn’t work anyway)
- One of the most sought-after coaches in Germany with an active presence abroad, too
- With his inspiring, astonishing and entertaining keynotes, he has the ability to captivate entire halls
STRENGTHS
- Political analyst
- Keynote speaking
DR HANS-DIETER HEUMANN
- Former ambassador; currently Senior Fellow at the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS), and lecturer at the University of Bonn
- Head of the German Federal Foreign Office’s programme for young leaders from Ukraine
- President of the Federal Academy for Security Policy in Berlin (2011 – 2015)
- German Ambassador to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg (2009 – 2011)
- Senior Fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, Washington, D.C. (2008 – 2009)
- Lecturer at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. (2008 – 2009)
- Head of the political affairs departments at the German embassies in Paris (2000 – 2005) and Washington, D.C. (2005 – 2008)
- Fellow at the New York Institute for East-West Security Studies (1987 – 1988)
- Diplomat at the United Nations in New York City (1983 – 1984) and in Moscow (1991 – 1994)
- Member of the planning and management staff, among other positions, at the Federal Foreign Office, and member of the planning staff at the Federal Ministry of Defence
- Author of books and articles on international politics, most recently of the book „Strategische Diplomatie – Europas Chance in der multipolaren Welt“ (Strategic diplomacy – An opportunity for Europe in a multipolar world)
- Author of a biography on long-serving German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher
- Regular commentator on international politics for the German TV channel Phoenix
- Before his diplomatic career: Professional musician (violoncello) at the Chur Cölnisches Orchester (now the Klassische Philharmonie Bonn)
STRENGTHS
- Strategic communications
- Public affairs
- Board and executive branding
- Keynote speaking
SVEN H. KORNDÖRFFER
- Almost three decades of experience in the banking industry
- Most recently Divisional Board Member for Corporate Communications at Commerzbank AG, responsible for corporate communications, public affairs, brand and research, the Commerzbank Foundation and the Group’s archives
- Group Managing Director at Aareal Bank Group (2016 – 2021),
responsible for corporate communications, public affairs and marketing; responsible for the Management Board Office and all committee matters within the Bank and Group during restructuring - Managing Director at Aareal Bank Group (2007 – 2016),
responsible for corporate communications, public affairs and marketing - Bank Director at Norddeutsche Landesbank, Head of the Managing Board Office (2002 – 2007)
- Divisional Director at Norddeutsche Landesbank, Assistant to the Chair of the Managing Board (1999 – 2004)
- Deputy Head of Events, Trade Fairs, Conferences, Communications and International Relations at Norddeutsche Landesbank (1995 – 1999)
- Studied economics at the University of Bonn (1989 – 1994)
- Chair of „Wertekommission – Initiative Werte Bewusste Führung“ (Values Commission – Initiative for Values Conscious Leadership) (since 2005)
- Author and editor of a number of books covering values-based corporate governance; most recently „Die Wertschätzungskette: Warum wir uns Chefs ohne Empathie nicht leisten können“ (The appreciation chain: Why we can’t afford to have bosses who lack empathy), February 2024, ECON Verlag, Berlin, which became a manager magazin bestseller in March of that year
- Jury member of the Deutscher Journalistenpreis (German Journalism Award) 2024 and the PR Report Awards 2024
STRENGTHS
- Research
EMILIA LAMPEN
- Education:
Currently studying philosophy and economics at the University of Bayreuth (since 2023)
Studied philosophy and theatre studies at the University of Mainz (2022/23)
Attended Schloss Hansenberg boarding school (2019 – 2022) - Practical experience:
Hessian State Chancellery, Wiesbaden (7 weeks in 2023) | Procter & Gamble, Kronberg (21 days in 2021)
Lebenshilfe Görlitz e. V. (charity helping people with mental disabilities and their families, 21 days in 2018) | Hessian State Theatre Wiesbaden (14 days in 2016) - International school exchanges: Coshocton, USA (30 days in 2018) | Tours, France (30 days in 2017)
- Foreign language skills: English (fluent), Spanish (advanced), Swedish (native speaker), French (basic knowledge)
- Further qualifications:
Long-standing member of Schloss Hansenberg’s student and boarding school councils
Head of numerous study groups and committees
Treasury Auditor of the Hansenberg Alumni Association (seit 2023)
Advisor and Member of the Management Board of the Hansenberg Alumni Foundationg (seit 2022)
Delegate in the Stadtjugendring & Jugendforum Wiesbaden youth organisations (2017 – 2022)
Award for outstanding personal commitment to the school community (2022)
Recognition for voluntary work at schools by the Hessian Ministry for Education and Culture (2021)