Speakers
Xavier Ros (he/him)
Xavier Ros was born in Barcelona in 1971 and studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Barcelona. In 1994, He began his professional career in production logistics at Audi in Ingolstadt. Three years later, the Spanish native took on project management responsibilities for the Audi A8 series. Xavier Ros has been Labor Director and Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Human Resources since May 20, 2022
sophie koch (she/her)
Sophie Koch, born in Vogtland in 1993, has been a member of the Saxon state parliament for the SPD since 2024. Since May 2025, she has been the Federal Government Commissioner for Queer Issues and is committed to promoting the rights of queer people, especially in rural areas. Previously, she was education officer at Queer Network Saxony and is deputy state chair of the SPD Saxony.
Prof. Dr. Daniela Voigt (she/her)
Prof. Dr. Daniela Voigt is a SPIEGEL bestselling author and expert on toxic dynamics in organizations. She teaches social work, advises companies on diversity, leadership, and cultural change, and is well known from TV, podcasts, and specialist media. Her focus: how toxic corporate cultures prevent diversity—and what we can do about it.
Prof. Dr. Jan Schürmann-Vengels (he/him)
Studied psychology and clinical psychology in Bochum. Licensed as a psychological psychotherapist in 2020. Doctorate (Dr. phil.) on the topic of diagnostics of strengths and resource activation in 2022. Since 2023, holder of a professorship at the University of Witten/Herdecke. Head of a large-scale study on the mental health of LGBTQ+ individuals in German-speaking countries (Queer Mental Health). Lead author of numerous articles in international journals.
Priv-Doz. Dr. Luis Escobar (he/him)
Luis Escobar is an expert in mental health and health education with many years of experience at the intersection of science, practice, and industry. His professional career has taken him to Audi AG, SEAT S.A., the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), Mainz University Medical Center, and Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe e.V., among others. With passion and interdisciplinary expertise, he builds bridges between evidence-based research and practical implementation – always with the goal of promoting sustainable health and anchoring mental strength in organizations.
Sabina Ahmed (she/her)
Sabina Ahmed is an inclusion consultant, speaker, and trainer.
She combines personal experience with professional expertise and supports companies in breaking down barriers and actively shaping inclusion—through practical workshops, HR consulting, and accessible event planning. Her goal: diversity that works—for a future that includes everyone.
linda kurz (she/her)
Linda Kurz has been responsible for marketing in Germany since January 2022. She began her career at Audi in 2011 in product marketing and worked her way up to her current position via the high-performance subsidiary Audi Sport. Among other things, she was responsible for the launch of the Audi e-tron GT.
simon bauer (he/him)
Simon Bauer is responsible for Pfizer Germany’s pharmacy business as Commercial Strategy Lead Pharmacies. Previously, he worked at Pfizer and in consulting firms at the interface between politics and business. Simon has been actively involved in the Pfizer DE&I team since his time as a working student. He is currently co-lead of the global Pfizer LGBTIQ+ network OPEN in Germany. He studied sociology in Munich, Berlin, and Bergen, Norway, and is also a trained industrial clerk.
sonja Schwerdtner (she/her)
Sonja Schwerdtner is co-chair of dbPride Germany, Deutsche Bank’s LGBTIQ+ employee resource group, where she plays a leading role in fostering inclusion and driving cultural change across the organisation. She leads a team within Business Line Compliance that advises Deutsche Bank’s Fixed Income and Currencies division. Sonja began her career with a banking apprenticeship and went on to study Business Administration in Mannheim, later specialising in Risk Management and Compliance. Her work combines deep technical expertise with a strong commitment to inclusive leadership and organisational integrity.
Christopher Mohr (he/Him)
Christopher Mohr is co-chair of dbPride Germany, Deutsche Bank’s LGBTIQ+ employee resource group, where he actively drives initiatives that promote visibility and inclusion across the organisation. He also serves as Business Manager at Deutsche Bank’s Berlin Technology Centre, where he has been leading strategic initiatives and operational projects since joining the firm three years ago. Prior to relocating to Berlin, he spent 13 years in London working for various financial institutions. He holds a Master’s degree from the University of St. Gallen and brings a broad international perspective to his work in organisational development and cultural transformation.
Samet Akti
Samet Akti is Sr D&I Manager at Zalando and has been demonstrating for over 7 years that companies are more successful when inequalities in decisions, structures, and markets are consistently prevented. Over 80 projects prove that reducing bias not only creates fairness but also measurable growth. As a LinkedIn Top Voice and Top PRIDE Voice, Samet promotes DEI as a clear business factor.
Bernd Krajnik (he/Him)
Bernd Krajnik is a Partner at EY-Parthenon in Zurich and has been working in strategy and transaction consulting at EY for nine years, leading strategic initiatives at both European and global level. Previously, he held different roles at various financial institutions including Credit Suisse, GE Capital, and Deutsche Bank. Since 2008, Bernd has been openly out at the workplace and has been actively engaged in LGBTQ+ ERGs – initially at Credit Suisse and now at EY. From 2022 to 2025, he was co-president of the Swiss LGBTI-Label, which awards the Swiss LGBTI-Label to companies and organizations in Switzerland as a seal of approval for the inclusion of queer people in the workplace. He is also part of the core team at InterAlliance and a member of the Network association. For his commitment, Bernd was recognized in 2023 on the PROUTExecutives list, ranking sixth.
Michaela Jaap (she/her)
After graduating with a degree in industrial engineering, Michaela Jaap initially worked for more than 10 years in management consulting, focusing on strategy and organizational development. She joined Hays AG in 2017, initially as a project manager for strategic HR projects, before beginning to establish diversity management as a strategic initiative in 2018.
Today, as Head of Corporate Culture & Responsibility, Michaela holistically manages all sustainability issues at Hays. In addition to diversity and inclusion, she is responsible for the centers of expertise for climate management, corporate volunteering, health management, sustainability reporting, and employee experience.
In September 2024, she was elected to the board of the Diversity Charter. In this role, she places particular emphasis on representing the voices of small and medium-sized enterprises and developing adaptable solutions for their reality.
daniel danzl (THEY/THEM)
Born in Bavaria in 1996, Daniel Danzl,studied Management & Technology (M.Sc.) at the Technical University of Munich and Sociology & Gender Studies (M.A.) at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. As a research associate at the Chair of Research and Science Management at the TUM School of Management, Daniel Danzl conducts research on diversity and gender, currently in the BMFTR-funded project “SeeHerTech” with a focus on the visibility of underrepresented perspectives in the high-tech industry.
ina wolf (she/HEr)
Ina Wolf is a project manager/specialist advisor for “Fluchtgrund: queer-Queer Refugees Deutschland” and a certified specialist for young LGBTIQ* refugees, manager for intercultural openness, live online trainer, co-founder of Rainbow Refugees Cologne, and co-founder of Sofra Cologne. She spent two years working on inclusion and empowerment projects with young LGBTIQ refugees and migrants. She is also a specialist in inclusion and awareness projects for queer migrants and new immigrants, as well as in training courses on the topic of LGBTIQ* refugees/new immigrants. Over the past 10 years, she has designed numerous innovative projects for integration and participation and successfully implemented them for major sponsors from the business world and for governmental organisations.
Lilith Raza (she/HEr)
Lilith Raza is a specialist consultant for “Queer and Refugees.” Since 2015, she has been campaigning for the rights of queer refugees in Germany. She is also a certified online consultant, trans* advisor, and empowerment trainer. She is a board member of Queeres Netzwerk NRW e.V. (Queer Network North Rhine-Westphalia). She has a degree in environmental sciences with a focus on migration and climate change.
ERGs @ audi
Representatives of queer@audi, dads@audi and women@audi
FRAUKE BAREISS (she/HEr)
Frauke Bareiss has been part of PROUT AT WORK since 2020 and has been working as a consultant since 2022. After studying cultural studies and gender studies, she brings all her expertise and passion to the foundation. As co-project manager of PROUT PERFORMER, author of several how-to guides, and expert on rainbow families, she makes an important contribution to diversity and inclusion. She is also actively involved in organizing various events and contributes her experience in a number of other areas, such as conducting awareness sessions
Moderation
Kira alin (she/her)
Kira Alin, born in Emmerich am Rhein in 1981, studied cultural studies and then completed an internship at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG. She now works at ProSieben, where she presents “Newstime.” She is the first transgender news presenter on German television. In addition to her journalistic work, she is committed to visibility and equal opportunities, speaks publicly about acceptance and diversity, and advocates for greater representation of marginalized perspectives in the media.
Jens schönleber (he/him)
Jens Schönleber has been working at Audi AG since 2016 in the Brand Experience team, focusing on sponsorships and collaborations as well as test drive campaigns. Since 2022, he has been a member of the core team of the queer&friends@audi network.
pinay colada
Jay Miniano, also known as Pinay Colada, is a drag queen, makeup artist, hairstylist, and wig stylist based in Munich. Since 2023, she has been working full-time as a freelance makeup artist and drag performer. In 2018, Pinay performed for the first time at Munich Pride and has since become a regular figure in Munich’s drag community. She regularly hosts and performs at various events, such as the Lovers Lipsync Battle and Pour Decisions – English Drag Brunch in Munich.
Learn more about this year’s program.