…we must move away from top-down and tokenistic approaches to stakeholder engagement. We need to innovate and truly listen to create new meaningful and transformative approaches for individuals and communities.“
I am a stakeholder engagement specialist and build spaces for global, regional and national stakeholders from around the world that ensure they are heard, inspired, and supported and can share their experiences, challenges and successes with the wider community. For this, I design custom-made innovative participatory stakeholder experiences in which dialogue and collaboration create opportunities for transformative impact. This includes workshops, tools, strategy, or whole projects, partnerships, and fundraising proposals.
I have worked with organisations in philanthropy and sustainable development such as UNICEF, Mercator Foundation, the Global Safe to Learn Initiative, the End Violence Lab, Oak Foundation, and most recently the German democracy start-up Diskutier Mit Mir.
If there is one thing I believe in, it’s that we must move away from top-down and tokenistic approaches to stakeholder engagement. We need to innovate and truly listen to create new meaningful and transformative approaches for individuals and communities. Not only is that the right thing to do, research says that listening and valuing the knowledge and wisdom of people and communities is crucial for positive impact.
Speaking of research – as a researcher specialising in civil society and policy, I love grounding my work in evidence. To deliver the best quality of work, I draw on research and best practice found in a variety of sectors, stakeholder surveys, as well as evidence-based learning and teaching (EBLT).
But knowing is not everything. Feeling and experiencing are key, too. Which is why you can always find me tinkering on new approaches that are both fun and meaningful – from adapting design sprints for use in stakeholder co-creation to developing experiential learning tools.