About

My business motto sums it up: “Engage in Inclusion - Benefit from Diversity.” In other words, the power of diversity (the mix) gets activated by an inclusive environment (the way the mix works together). Only when you have diversity with inclusion will your organization reap the benefits.

In my work as a D&I consultant, trainer and coach, I have successfully created positive change at the personal and organizational levels. But you don’t have to take my word for the transformational power of Diversity and Inclusion. There’s now a substantial body of research affirming that organizations with greater D&I are not only more resilient, they also outperform their peers.

In my home country of Germany, I am among the pioneers in Diversity and Inclusion. When I entered the D&I field in 2005, most organizations locally hadn’t even begun to realize the positive change Diversity Management could bring. Employed at the European Headquarters of a large Fortune 500, multi-industry company, I was tasked by the US headquarters with creating a strategy that would have an impact in very different legislative and cultural settings and deliver outcomes across Europe, Africa and South America.

Key to that success was a deep business understanding and to consult with the different executive leadership teams on the company’s diverse needs and challenges in many countries.

Through active engagement in the D&I EMEA Forum, a pan-European D&I network across industries, I built up a great knowledge about state of the art D&I initiatives and was able to likewise share successful programs and initiatives. I was also among the founding members of a similar local network in Germany.

I have seen the winds of change going through the various economical cycles and how they impact the work around D&I. Short term trends come and go, yet I know the difference to a sustainable management of D&I. I also know about the importance to balance various needs and expectations, especially around sometimes competing or contradictory demands.

Working and studying in Berlin early on in my career I was exposed to be in one of the German cities that was highly impacted by a historical and huge transition at that time. The wall that divided Germany for 28 years had just been down for two years. Having colleagues and friends from East and West Berlin, I got valuable insights in their individual realities and was right in the middle of some of the strongest cultural clashes in a re-united nation. This laid the foundation to seek and understand the motivations and perspectives of people different from me. Working across cultures throughout my whole career continued to prove this point of being open towards different points of view and the willingness to look behind a behavior and opinion .

Today, through Raven Business Transformations, I guide small, medium and large organizations to greater success through Diversity and Inclusion.

I’m passionate about bringing these qualities to every project:

• Listening — My #1 priority is staying attuned to everyone’s needs, from shop floor to executive management
• Authenticity — I bring hands-on experience in organizational processes and change
• Planning — I help you build a solid strategy and engage stakeholders
• Endurance — I keep going in the face of barriers, always holding the big picture
• Preparation — I minimize stress by showing up with everything you’ll need to take action
• Solution oriented — No point complaining, let’s just get on with it!
• Reliable – You can count on me that I do what I say

To view my full career details and peer recommendations, please see my profile on LinkedIn.

If you like to get the background story on the name Raven Business Transformations, please continue to read here.