Alumniadmin2023-07-26T11:25:45+02:00

Our alumni

The Ashoka Visionary Alumnae*i Network provides alumni with the opportunity to stay connected, to contribute to the program and to deepen their experience in follow-up events and projects. Ultimately, our alumni expand their network within the social entrepreneurship scene and keep finding solutions. Read more at “Our network“. Also, here you can view all Ashoka Fellows (speakers & participants) at one glance.

Meet our 300 visionaries from three continents, in the regions: Central and Eastern Europe, Mediterranean and East Africa. Click on the photos to learn about their stories
👋 PLEASE NOTE: This page is currently being updated.

Heidrun Gruber-Größwang

Marketing expert; Founder, Gruber-Größwang Consulting

Ferdinand Pelzlmayer

Human Rights Lawyer, Switzerland/Austria

Founder, Think Opal

TV host The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation

Elisabeth Pipic

Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF)

Changemaker from Israel, VP Dualis social investment fund

Elisabeth Siencnik

Startup Coach; Co-founder & CFO reha buddy

Elisabeth Campestrini

CEO of Progressive Health Consulting

Matthias Weichhart

Austrian Research Promotion Agency

Member of the board of directors, Eduzměna foundation fund

Stefan Lilischkis

Senior consultant, empirica Gesellschaft für Kommunikations- und Technologieforschung mbH

Co-founder and Board Member, Klaiton; Strategic Advisor, CoachHub

Assistant to VIP & Exhibitor Relations

Kristina Kroyer

Program Coordinator at HORIZONT3000

Franziska Wizany

Cultural advisor

Silvia Silvozzi

Manager Bottega Terzo Settore - Fondazione Carisap

Co-Director Ashoka Austria

Heidemarie Messnitzer

Senior Expert Federal Ministry of Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport

Abubaker Musuuza

Christof Gruber-Harrich

Consultant, Austria

former Operations Manager Ashoka CEE

Charlotte Steenbergen

COO of the European Forum Alpbach

Margarita Rebetskaya

Choreographier, Ballet dancer & Performance Director

Project Lead Developing Neighborhood Institute

Raphaela Toncic-Sorinj

Co-Director Ashoka Austria and Nordics; Director Ashoka Visionary Program

Johannes Gärtner

CEO Respekt.Net GmbH, Austria

Head of the department of social affairs and volunteering at the Red Cross

Human Rights Lawyer

President of LEADER Network Croatia

Lisa Binderberger

Founder of Boom Creative Lab

Maurizio Bergia

President of the social & agricultural cooperative I TESORI della TERRA in Cervasca

Barbara Mayrhofer

Regional Manager for the Institute for Inclusive Education

Katharina Markovics

Professor of Musicology at New England Conservatory in Boston

CEO Midot, promoting impact (Israel)

Katharina van Zeller

Founder & CEO DreiKreis

Partnership Expert at Light for the World

formerly: Communications for Ashoka Austria

Obayda Abo Asbeh

Founder Sanad Yoth Association (Israel)

Social Entrepreneurship Development Officer Athens Development and Destination Management Agency

CEO GTS - Technologies Ltd (Israel)

Torsten Engelage

Risk Management and Compliance for the PwC Advisory

Arianna Tripodi

Child and Youth Participation Advisor, SOS Children’s Villages International

Benjamin Dragolj

Founder of Igramo Zajedno Inicijativa – IZI

Andrea Kretschmer

Manager Accenture

Father Charles Chilufya

Director of the Justice and Ecology Office of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar (JCAM)

Director at Kino Zona, Croatia

Member of Ashoka's Global Leadership Group, Leading Ashoka's work in Europe

Head of Finance & Service, Österreichische Caritaszentrale

Clemens Mulokozi

Ashoka Fellow, Founder & CEO of the NGO NGO Jambo Bukoba

Susanne Gahleitner

Co-founder Parola, Austria

Claudia Lingner

Managing Director Ludwing Boltzmann Gesellschaft

Co-Founder and CEO, DreiKreis Consulting GmbH

Co-Director of Ashoka Nordics

European Commission/Centre of Thematic Expertise on Civil Society Support

Christina Kauer

CONCORDIA Sozialprojekte

Monika Hrochova

Program Manager, Educhange Foundation

Changemaker from Egypt, Member of the Egyptian Parliament

Managing Director of the International Association of Lake Constance Universities

Director of Programmes European Journalism Center (EJC)

Gabriela Vondrusova

Change Manager and Community Mobilizer at Ashoka Czech Republic

Sustainability Specialist Enel Romania

Irit Zviely Efrat

Chief Operations Officer at Hillel

Jindra Marešová

Director, Albatros Foundation

Klára Rundová

Project Managar Česká spořitelna foundation

Head of Information & Reporting in SOS Children's Villages International

Founder Intergenerational Dancing Poland

Cornelia Faisst

Senior lecturer and co-academic Director at the University of Liechtenstein

Agnieszka Franeczek

Head of Consumer Lending Processes at UniCredit Bank Austria

Account Director at ketchum Publico

Walter Odhiambo

National Director, SoS Children's Villages Kenya

Humanitarian and human rights specialist

Christiane Holzinger

Managing Partner, 360° Business Planner GmbH, Start-Up Stars GmbH

Head Of Department Development at SWISSAID

President Forum Apulum, Ashoka Fellow

Ethiopia Program Manager at African Disability Forum

Pascal Kayiranga MD

Rwanda Red Cross Society

Founder and CEO of Raw Culture

Sabrina Stepanian

Founder, STEPANIAN CONSULTING e.U.

Andreja Rosandic

Lecturer at Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences University of Zagreb

Agnes Schillhuber

Communications neunerhaus; formerly: Ashoka Austria

Petra Wűnschová

Founder Centrum LOCIKA, Czech Republik

Josep Maria Miró Pascual

Social Innovation Consultant JovesLab (Spain)

Initiator, "Steady Steps";Organisational Consultant, Coach

Samya El Mousti

National Director SOS Children’s Villages Morocco

Nicola Fraccaroli

Consultant for marketing strategies & business model changes

Markéta Pěchoučková

Head of Social Innovation Unit at Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Czechia

Christophe Cuny

Individual Giving Department Lead, SOS Children's Villages International

Head of Implementation Unit Ministry of Justice, Czech Republik

Finance Manager Ashoka Austria, Visionary Program Manager & Communication

Alexandra Nitzlader

Senior Project Manager HYPO NOE Gruppe Bank

Karin Haselböck

European Integrator, Ashoka

Managing Partner, Culen Mayrhofer Partner

Maike Kauffmann

Founder at Purpose Foundation, Germany

Angelika Bartholomäi

Director of the coordination office, StartNet Italy

Jihad Shoja'eyeh

Founder of “Youth without Borders Network”

Alicia Rodriguez

Youth and ICT4D Project Coordinator at SOS Children’s Villages International

Innovation and Sustainability Coordinator, S.C.S. Armonia Work Onlus

Abraham Gossaye

Head of Country Office, Austrian Red Cross in Ethiopia

Christina Purrer

Project Manager at Hil-Foundation gGmbH

Stefanie Kirwald

Consultant Alumnae*I Network

Stefan van der Swaluw

Program Director at SOS Children's Villages The Netherlands

Co-founder of Venezia Autentica

Municipality Director, Kajiado County Kenya

Project Management SOS Children’s Villages International

Business Development Manager, TRACE Eastern Africa

Daniela Herneth

Leadership Coach / People & Business Developer

Grant Administrator, Porticus Nairobi

Managing Partner / Chairman EOOS Design, IDRV - Institute of Design Research Vienna

Jana Krajcovicova

Private Sector Development Specialist at the World Bank

Elisabeth Mayerhofer

Managing Director, Julius Raab Foundation

Emergency Response Director SOS Children’s Villages International

Peter Herreiner

Financial Advisor & Supervisory Board Member

Goran Medakovic

Senior advisor at the National Foundation for Civil Society Development, Croatia

Katharina Jeschke

Austria Secretary General at IMZ International Music + Media Centre

Managing Director at EnableMe Foundation

Ahmed Abdelgalil

VP alumnus & Gender and Economic Empowerment Specialist

Managing Director, Griller Kabel

Claire de Lafarge

Founder and CEO, Dialogue Social Enterprise; Ashoka Fellow

Radoslav Pittner

Co-Country Representative Czech and Slovakia, Facilitator & coach for social impact

Ondřej Zapletal

Executive Director, Depositum Bonum Foundation Prag

Eduard Trampusch

Head of International Programmes, Austrian Red Cross

Zahra I. Lethome

Office Manager, Ashoka East Africa

Senior business analyst for public health

Project Coordinator at Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation - 'fairplay initiatve'

Eghosa Erhumwunse

National Director SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria

Gregor Ruttner-Vicht

CEO of Lower Austrian entity of Sindbad

Katarina Banicevic

Teamleader South East Europe, Austrian Red Cross

Initiator & Head of aws Sustainable Food Systems Initiative

Project Manager of Center Noordung

Coordinator – Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET), CARE International in Tanzania

Account Manager at RxWare

Consultant on Project Design & Project Evaluation, also: Ashoka Italy

Corinna Geissler

Head of Advocacy & Child Rights, UNICEF Austria

Veronica Pistyur

Co-Founder and CEO of Bridges Budapest Ⅰ General Partner at Oktogon Ventures

Communications and Marketing Expert

Orsolya Ifi-Valde

Anti-corruption and human rights lawyer, Founder Jazzpiknik, Hungary

Elin Baranyai-Ulvestad

Project Manager, Austrian Red Cross

Michael Hilbert

Head of Business Unit Banking

Andrea Babčanová

HR Manager, Visegrad Fund

Linda Stucbartova

Partner ATAIRU company, Founder Diversio

National Director, SOS Children's Villages Jordan

Karsten Ottenberg

Former CEO of BSH Home Appliances Group and Innovater and Purpose-driven leader by heart

Kirsten Tangemann

Managing Director of Social Business Hub Styria

Manager in PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Public Sector Group

Project assistant & communication manager, Ashoka Italy

Eastern Africa Managing Director of Trace

Ashoka Fellow, Founder & Vice President NEVER GIVE UP Onlus

Abdikadir Dakane

National Director SOS Children’s Villages Somalia

Clara Conrad-Billroth

Venture Creation Lead University of Vienna

Head of Knowledge Transfer & Dissemination, Complexity Science Hub Vienna (on educational leave)

Eleonora Cadone

Community Integrator, Ashoka Italy

Head of Operations at Bethnal Green Ventures

Country Representative of Ashoka Hungary

Madeleine Pawlowicz

Project Lead Saving Angel, Germany

Ninon Ndayikengurkiye

CARE USA Impact and Innovation Team

Katharina Okulski

Head of scholarship program, NOW: International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD)

Christoph Soukup

Senior Project Manager HYPO NOE Gruppe Bank

Social Business Consultant, Alumna of the Visionary Program

Changemaker from Israel, Assistant General Director Municipality of Nazareth

Violeta Philippitsch

Leitung Kundenbereich EU & International, Umweltbundesamt - Environment Agency Austria

Business Angel & Mentor

Ashoka Fellow, Founder of the Institute for Debt Prevention and Resolution in Prague

Acting Manager Livelihoods, CARE Uganda

Sumita Kunashakaran

Project Manager at the Zero Project

Charles Karimbu Kimathi

Head of Corporate Affairs & Partnerships The Standard Group PLC

Director of Department National Pedagogical Institute, Czechia

Sozialwirtschaft Steiermark

Stefanie Kotrba

OPEC Fund for International Development

Selene Orellana

Communications Lead at Planeterra Foundation

Beata Jaczewska

Managing Director, Visegrad Fund

Gabriele Hampson

Managing Director at W*ORT

Account Director at Ketchum

Birgit Radl-Wanko

Managing Director of younus Mentoring

Partnership Manager Ashoka

Managing Director at Viva con Agua Österreich

Milica Aksentic

Head of Communications and CSR at Western Union International Bank

Educator and project manager, AG Di Donato

Regional Fund Development Director, SOS Children's Villages International, Eastern & Southern Africa Region

Monika Ségur-Cabanac

Regional Manager Central & West Africa and Latin America at Missio Austria

Special Assistant & Regional Director, Ford Foundation office, Eastern Africa

"i3" (I-Cube) Information Engineering Incubator

Krzsytof Rutkowski

Director Magovox

Katerina Bursikova Jacques

Executive Director, Educational and business centre Sněmovní 7

Flavian Majenga

Senior Project Manager CARE Tanzania

Danijel Baturina

Assistant professor in University of Zagreb

Ernest Namanya Rwendeire

Executive Director, Latek Stay Alliance Uganda

CEO of Tec-Innovation GmbH

Tangaza University

Br. Dr. Jonas Yawovi Dzinekou

Director, Institute for Social Transformation Tangaza University College

Co-Funder Feminist Fund, Ashoka Fellow, Poland

Ahmad Abdelgalil

Changemaker from Egypt, Staff Ashoka Arab World

Cecilia Toncic-Sorinj

Finding sustainable solutions in gastronomy.

Urška Starc-Peceny

Chief Innovation Officer, lead Tourism 4.0 at Arctur

Development Specialist fpr NGOs

Magdalena Dul-Komosinska

CEE Director, Climate KIC

Co-Team Leader of the Youth&ICT4D department in SOS Children´s Villages International

Founder, Fairphone

Masha Djordjevic

Program Manager Open Society Foundations

Changemaker from Greece, Consultant Costas M. Lemos Foundation

Blühendes Österreich

Global Lead Funding Advisor at Joining Forces Initiative by World Vision

Regional director of the social enterprise Sindbad