Speakers
Marc Opelt (he/him), Chairman of the Divisional Board, otto
Marc Opelt is Chairman of the Divisional Board of OTTO, Germany’s largest online store. He joined the Otto Group in 1990 and was promoted to the management of OTTO Office in 1996. In 2000, he moved to the management of Eddie Bauer, for which he worked in Seattle (USA) from 2002. He joined the management of the Baur Group in 2005 and was appointed Chairman in 2009. In 2012, Marc Opelt was appointed to the OTTO Divisional Board, which he has chaired since 2018.
Anna Thwaites (she/they), Partner, Clifford Chance Partnerschaft mit beschränkter Berufshaftung
Anna Thwaites is a qualified Australian and English law solicitor and partner at Clifford Chance. Anna is an expert in complex project and infrastructure finance, with years of experience in the healthcare, transportation and energy sectors. Anna advises banks, (financial) investors and sponsors on the financing, refinancing and restructuring of large international projects. Anna is also Chair of the LGBT+ Network at Clifford Chance Germany and co-initiator of the Reverse Mentoring Program at Clifford Chance in Germany.
Duke Duong (he/him), Queer Activist & Social Media Lead, borisgloger consulting GmbH
Duke is a communications professional and agile leader of East Asian descent. He uses his reach on social media to raise awareness of intersectional, queerfeminist issues. He communicates content in an approachable, personal and understanding way. As a leader in a management consultancy in the field of social media, he is committed to a respectful, transparent and self-organised corporate culture at eye level and thus also brings expertise on existing corporate structures.
Charlotte Wunn (She), Referent*in, Activist, 1. chairperson, Intergeschlechtliche Menschen e.V.
Charlotte Wunn has been working as a speaker and activist in the field of intersex since 2019. In addition to workshops and lectures, she also uses formats such as podcasts and videos and is a guest at panel discussions. Her work aims to increase the acceptance of intersex people in society and improve the realities of their lives.
Susanne SIkora (she/her), Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Deutschland, Deutsche Bank
Susanne Sikora has been working in HR at Deutsche Bank for over 20 years. As Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Germany, she supports the bank and its employees in understanding and implementing diversity, equal opportunities and participation as holistically as possible. With her experience from various regional and central line and project tasks as an HR officer, remuneration specialist and coach in the company, she advises and accompanies people in a needs-oriented manner as a sparring partner, source of inspiration and feedback.
Dr. Antonia Wadé (she/her),Diversity Managerin, Audi AG
Antonia Wadé studied business administration in Regensburg and in the US. After completing her doctorate, she joined AUDI AG in 2000 in the Investor Relations department. This was followed by positions at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt and in Corporate Strategy with a focus on sustainability. She has been a manager in the Diversity & Inclusion department since 2017. She is involved inside and outside the company as an ally in the field of LGBT*IQ and has been a member of the PROUT AT WORK Foundation Advisory Board since 2021.
Elizabeth Anderson (she/they), Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant, VENN DEI
An underground tour guide and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant, Elizabeth was originally a History and English teacher. She eventually moved out of academics and into business, supporting communications at an early-stage VC firm while also creating the company’s first DEI strategy. She went on to manage Internal Communications and DEI at a climate tech scale-up before starting her own business, Venn DEI.
Dr. Beyhan Şentürk (she/her), executive Coach & Diversity Trainer
Dr. Beyhan Şentürk is an executive coach and diversity trainer. The political scientist prefers to talk about Muslim lifestyles in Germany and about (anti-Muslim) racism. The Berliner-by-choice particularly enjoys coaching career-oriented people who feel attracted by “diversity”. In addition to her specialist knowledge, Dr. Beyhan Şentürk also shares her experience as a lesbian woman of color from a working-class family with a fascination for religions.
Dr. Traugott Gruppe (he/him), Medical Director Germany, Boehringer Ingelheim
Traugott Gruppe is Medical Director at Boehringer Ingelheim Germany. About 10 years ago, he moved from direct patient care at the University Hospital of Cologne to the pharmaceutical industry as a consultant at BCG and has since held various local and regional roles. Traugott has also been committed to diversity, equality and inclusion in the workplace for many years and is co-founder of the first European LGBTQI network at Janssen.
Dr. Adrian Hector (he/him), Mitglied der Hamburgischen Bürgerschaft für die GRÜNEN
Adrian Hector has been a member of the GRÜNEN parliamentary group in Hamburg since August 2022, where he is the spokesperson for gender diversity. He is the first trans* man to hold such an office at state level. Adrian’s goal is to improve the living situation of trans, inter and non-binary people in Hamburg. For him, this includes strengthening peer structures, needs-based healthcare, combating hate crime, as well as the legal recognition and equality of all genders.
Alex Gessner (she/her), Chief Operating Officer, ACI Consulting
Alex Gessner is Managing Director at ACI Diversity Consulting. She spent 14 years as a senior product and tech executive in the financial industry, responsible for innovative and disruptive projects. Her specialty: organizational design and building scalable teams/companies. A financial disruptor by day, diversity activist by night, she has been recognized for her achievements as a Future Maker by Business Insider, Executive #1 by PROUT AT WORK and many more.
Amina Balajo (she/her), Junior PR Manager DEI, Stage Entertainment
After completing a Master’s degree at the University of Hamburg, Amina Balajo now works as a Junior PR Manager with a focus on DEI at Stage Entertainment. She has also been helping to organize the Hamburg International Queer Film Festival since 2023. She was on stage as a presenter at the opening of the festival.
Brix Schaumburg (he/him), Artist
Brix Schaumburg is Germany’s first officially outed trans actor. If you’re looking for the ordinary, you’ve come to the wrong place. He is committed to a world without labels. As a diversity coach, he advises companies and brands. With his very personal story and his commitment as a media person, he wants to sensitize, educate, promote discourse and create more awareness in dealing with people from different backgrounds. He is also an active ambassador for the DGTI (German Society for Transidentity and Intersexuality), among others.
Robin Scheerbaum (he/him), systemischer Berater & Coach / Content Creator für queeren Aktivismus
Robin Scheerbaum originally comes from an educational background and has been advocating for queer visibility and safety since coming out publicly on social media. During his work as an educator, he already dealt intensively with the connection between hate and early childhood education in the field of diversity, thus building bridges to discrimination and hostility in adulthood. In addition to his work on social media, Robin Scheerbaum works as a systemic consultant and coach and advises institutions, companies and businesses in the area of trans identity and diversity. As a consultant and coach, he has worked for the German Child Protection Association, among others, and sensitized consultants for the Child and Youth Helpline. His motto? Always be yourself.
Simone Christ (she/her), Project & Change Manager Corporate Social Responsibility, Communications & CSR, Deutsche Bank
Simone Chris has been with Deutsche Bank for over 30 years and has worked in various roles and regions. Today, she uses her experience as Project & Change Manager in the area of social responsibility (CSR) and supports the bank and its employees in becoming socially involved and promoting values such as democracy, equal opportunities and education.
Ann-Christin Stooß (she/her), Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager, Beiersdorf
Ann-Christin Stooß is currently working as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager at Beiersdorf. In this role she is responsible for one of Beiersdorf’s biggest upskilling initiatives to date, reaching over 3,000 people leaders globally through their Global DE&I Essentials Journey, firmly establishing a clear foundation for inclusive leadership. Her career also includes positions in market research, project management, and human resources, working with The Coca-Cola Company, Amnesty International and the Körber Foundation. Her journey began at a law firm, allowing her to build a diverse professional background that now fuels her passion for equity and community engagement.
Sebastian Lehmann (he/him), Project Manager People & Culture, Beiersdorf
Sebastian Lehmann is currently Project Manager for People & Culture at Beiersdorf. Prior to this, he gained experience as an Associate at BCG. His extensive background includes work experience in corporate strategy, brand management, and growth office roles at companies like Flaconi, Simon-Kucher & Partners, Henkel, and Procter & Gamble. He is part of various queer networks such as LGBTQ* university clubs and an active member of the Beiersdorf internal „Be You @Beiersdorf“ Pride ERG.
Kai Hülsmann (he/him), Business Manager & Corporate Representative, Deutsche Telekom
Kai Hülsmann has worked in strategy and marketing, implementing global campaigns with a focus on queer issues. As a former LGBTQIA+ spokesperson, he brings a strong understanding of diversity. Today he focuses on digitalization, political communication and public affairs.
Emily Bessoir (she/her), Profibasketballerin
Emily Bessoir is 22 years old and a professional basketball player. She was born in Munich and has spent the last 4 years playing in Los Angeles at UCLA, where she studied psychology and communication sciences. She is currently studying for a master’s degree in sports psychology.
Emily Bessoir has played in the youth national teams for Germany and became European champion with the u18 team in 2018. Since 2023, she has played with the women’s A national team, with whom she was at the Olympics this year. In addition to basketball, Emily Bessoir has a passion for art, which led to her first own art exhibition in Los Angeles in March.
Marcus Urban (he/him), Mitgründer, Diversero
Marcus Urban is co-founder of the global community for diversity and sports free coming out in professional sport: Diversero. He grew up in the former DDR and studied at the Bauhaus University Weimar and the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II after German reunification. He is the managing director of the Association for Diversity in Sport and Society, which was founded in 2014 and has been offering successful educational and public relations work for a diverse and open society ever since. Marcus Urban also works as a diversity consultant and systemic coach in Germany and helps people, organizations and companies worldwide.
ISabelle Mayerhofer (she/her), Jr. Machine Learning Engineer,
OTTO
Isabelle Mayerhofer has been working at OTTO in the field of artificial intelligence since the beginning of 2023. She has a degree in computer science and English. Before switching to IT, the American native taught German as a foreign language for many years. She also gained editorial experience in media companies and was active in student radio. At OTTO’s MORE* network, she campaigns for the rights and visibility of queer employees.
Christopher Herden (he/him), Social Media Specialist, OTTO
Christopher Herden has been working at OTTO since 2022 in the Corporate Communications team as a Social Media Specialist and expert for LinkedIn and the company podcast. Before OTTO, he worked for various companies and agencies in marketing, social media and PR for consumer and lifestyle brands. He is a part-time cycling instructor. Since starting at OTTO, he has been involved in the queer employee network MORE*.
Sy Legath (he/They), Projekt lead, PROUT AT WORK
Born in Augsburg in 1982, Sy Legath studied ethics of text cultures (Elitenetzwerk Bayern) and has been working in various fields of professional communication for around 20 years. He received in-depth training in mediation, coaching and supervision at the IMK Berlin, among others. Parallel to his work as a coach and trainer, Sy works as a non-medical practitioner for psychotherapy with a focus on queer/trans. In political education work, he is involved in various projects in the field of democracy-building and anti-discrimination. His approach is power-critical and intersectional. Sy currently works as a project lead at PROUT AT WORK in Munich.
Jo Labecka (no pronoun), Corporate Relationship Manager, PROUT AT WORK-Foundation
Jo is an expert in the inclusion of all dimensions of diversity, with a particular focus on LGBT*IQ, and works with companies and organizations at PROUT AT WORK to create a culture of belonging in the workplace and influence change in society at large. Jo identifies as non-binary and believes that deconstructing gender is part of our evolution.
Donna Hösslin (she/her), Project Lead, PROUT AT WORK-Foundation
Donna Hösslin is a diversity trainer with a focus on gender, allyship and diversity basics. As Project Lead at the PROUT AT WORK Foundation, she is responsible for various training and further education programs as well as the foundation’s event series.
Shortly, get in insight into this year’s PROUT AT WORK conference.