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.

Assistant to VIP & Exhibitor Relations

Ninon Ndayikengurkiye

CARE USA Impact and Innovation Team

Corinna Geissler

Head of Advocacy & Child Rights, UNICEF Austria

Flavian Majenga

Senior Project Manager CARE Tanzania

Gabriele Hampson

Managing Director at W*ORT

Alicia Rodriguez

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

Cornelia Faisst

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

Eduard Trampusch

Head of International Programmes, Austrian Red Cross

Senior business analyst for public health

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

Angelika Bartholomäi

Director of the coordination office, StartNet Italy

Margarita Rebetskaya

Choreographier, Ballet dancer & Performance Director

Heidemarie Messnitzer

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

Christof Gruber-Harrich

Consultant, Austria

Business Development Manager, TRACE Eastern Africa

Country Representative of Ashoka Hungary

Walter Odhiambo

National Director, SoS Children's Villages Kenya

former Operations Manager Ashoka CEE

Franziska Wizany

Cultural advisor

Clemens Mulokozi

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

Ahmad Abdelgalil

Changemaker from Egypt, Staff Ashoka Arab World

Head of Finance & Service, Österreichische Caritaszentrale

Account Manager at RxWare

Account Director at Ketchum

Madeleine Pawlowicz

Project Lead Saving Angel, Germany

CEO of Tec-Innovation GmbH

Christoph Soukup

Senior Project Manager HYPO NOE Gruppe Bank

Sozialwirtschaft Steiermark

Social Entrepreneurship Development Officer Athens Development and Destination Management Agency

Benjamin Dragolj

Founder of Igramo Zajedno Inicijativa – IZI

Abubaker Musuuza

"i3" (I-Cube) Information Engineering Incubator

Gregor Ruttner-Vicht

CEO of Lower Austrian entity of Sindbad

Eleonora Cadone

Community Integrator, Ashoka Italy

Christina Purrer

Project Manager at Hil-Foundation gGmbH

Development Specialist fpr NGOs

Beata Jaczewska

Managing Director, Visegrad Fund

Pascal Kayiranga MD

Rwanda Red Cross Society

Andrea Babčanová

HR Manager, Visegrad Fund

Ernest Namanya Rwendeire

Executive Director, Latek Stay Alliance Uganda

CEO GTS - Technologies Ltd (Israel)

Director of Department National Pedagogical Institute, Czechia

Karsten Ottenberg

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

Project Management SOS Children’s Villages International

Managing Partner, Culen Mayrhofer Partner

Elisabeth Mayerhofer

Managing Director, Julius Raab Foundation

President of LEADER Network Croatia

Co-Founder and CEO, DreiKreis Consulting GmbH

Matthias Weichhart

Austrian Research Promotion Agency

Br. Dr. Jonas Yawovi Dzinekou

Director, Institute for Social Transformation Tangaza University College

Milica Aksentic

Head of Communications and CSR at Western Union International Bank

European Commission/Centre of Thematic Expertise on Civil Society Support

Katarina Banicevic

Teamleader South East Europe, Austrian Red Cross

Susanne Gahleitner

Co-founder Parola, Austria

Katharina Markovics

Professor of Musicology at New England Conservatory in Boston

Grant Administrator, Porticus Nairobi

Elisabeth Campestrini

CEO of Progressive Health Consulting

National Director, SOS Children's Villages Jordan

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

CEO Midot, promoting impact (Israel)

Account Director at ketchum Publico

Changemaker from Greece, Consultant Costas M. Lemos Foundation

Elisabeth Pipic

Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF)

Project assistant & communication manager, Ashoka Italy

TV host The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation

Orsolya Ifi-Valde

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

Finance Manager Ashoka Austria, Visionary Program Manager & Communication

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

Sumita Kunashakaran

Project Manager at the Zero Project

Markéta Pěchoučková

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

Raphaela Toncic-Sorinj

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

Elisabeth Siencnik

Startup Coach; Co-founder & CFO reha buddy

Monika Hrochova

Program Manager, Educhange Foundation

Maike Kauffmann

Founder at Purpose Foundation, Germany

Urška Starc-Peceny

Chief Innovation Officer, lead Tourism 4.0 at Arctur

Abdikadir Dakane

National Director SOS Children’s Villages Somalia

Founder Intergenerational Dancing Poland

Arianna Tripodi

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

Charlotte Steenbergen

COO of the European Forum Alpbach

Co-Funder Feminist Fund, Ashoka Fellow, Poland

Ashoka Fellow, Founder & Vice President NEVER GIVE UP Onlus

Danijel Baturina

Assistant professor in University of Zagreb

Project Manager of Center Noordung

Barbara Mayrhofer

Regional Manager for the Institute for Inclusive Education

Obayda Abo Asbeh

Founder Sanad Yoth Association (Israel)

Stefan Lilischkis

Senior consultant, empirica Gesellschaft für Kommunikations- und Technologieforschung mbH

Communications and Marketing Expert

Violeta Philippitsch

Leitung Kundenbereich EU & International, Umweltbundesamt - Environment Agency Austria

Changemaker from Israel, VP Dualis social investment fund

Elin Baranyai-Ulvestad

Project Manager, Austrian Red Cross

Changemaker from Israel, Assistant General Director Municipality of Nazareth

Andrea Kretschmer

Manager Accenture

Co-founder of Venezia Autentica

Agnieszka Franeczek

Head of Consumer Lending Processes at UniCredit Bank Austria

Human Rights Lawyer

Abraham Gossaye

Head of Country Office, Austrian Red Cross in Ethiopia

Radoslav Pittner

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

Father Charles Chilufya

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

Jana Krajcovicova

Private Sector Development Specialist at the World Bank

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

Eastern Africa Managing Director of Trace

Nicola Fraccaroli

Consultant for marketing strategies & business model changes

Kristina Kroyer

Program Coordinator at HORIZONT3000

Klára Rundová

Project Managar Česká spořitelna foundation

Magdalena Dul-Komosinska

CEE Director, Climate KIC

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

Founder, Fairphone

Acting Manager Livelihoods, CARE Uganda

Katharina Jeschke

Austria Secretary General at IMZ International Music + Media Centre

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

Daniela Herneth

Leadership Coach / People & Business Developer

President Forum Apulum, Ashoka Fellow

Founder and CEO of Raw Culture

Samya El Mousti

National Director SOS Children’s Villages Morocco

Stefanie Kotrba

OPEC Fund for International Development

Katharina Okulski

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

Claire de Lafarge

Founder and CEO, Dialogue Social Enterprise; Ashoka Fellow

Head of Implementation Unit Ministry of Justice, Czech Republik

Agnes Schillhuber

Communications neunerhaus; formerly: Ashoka Austria

Karin Haselböck

European Integrator, Ashoka

Michael Hilbert

Head of Business Unit Banking

Head of Operations at Bethnal Green Ventures

Changemaker from Egypt, Member of the Egyptian Parliament

Claudia Lingner

Managing Director Ludwing Boltzmann Gesellschaft

Christiane Holzinger

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

Co-Director of Ashoka Nordics

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

Business Angel & Mentor

Goran Medakovic

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

Member of the board of directors, Eduzměna foundation fund

Johannes Gärtner

CEO Respekt.Net GmbH, Austria

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

Initiator & Head of aws Sustainable Food Systems Initiative

Silvia Silvozzi

Manager Bottega Terzo Settore - Fondazione Carisap

Head Of Department Development at SWISSAID

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

Manager in PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Public Sector Group

Emergency Response Director SOS Children’s Villages International

Managing Director of the International Association of Lake Constance Universities

Jihad Shoja'eyeh

Founder of “Youth without Borders Network”

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

Co-Director Ashoka Austria

Katerina Bursikova Jacques

Executive Director, Educational and business centre Sněmovní 7

Eghosa Erhumwunse

National Director SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria

Katharina van Zeller

Founder & CEO DreiKreis

Linda Stucbartova

Partner ATAIRU company, Founder Diversio

Global Lead Funding Advisor at Joining Forces Initiative by World Vision

Masha Djordjevic

Program Manager Open Society Foundations

Humanitarian and human rights specialist

Irit Zviely Efrat

Chief Operations Officer at Hillel

Partnership Manager Ashoka

Kirsten Tangemann

Managing Director of Social Business Hub Styria

Christina Kauer

CONCORDIA Sozialprojekte

Alexandra Nitzlader

Senior Project Manager HYPO NOE Gruppe Bank

Petra Wűnschová

Founder Centrum LOCIKA, Czech Republik

Heidrun Gruber-Größwang

Marketing expert; Founder, Gruber-Größwang Consulting

Initiator, "Steady Steps";Organisational Consultant, Coach

Founder, Think Opal

Monika Ségur-Cabanac

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

formerly: Communications for Ashoka Austria

Director at Kino Zona, Croatia

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

Ahmed Abdelgalil

VP alumnus & Gender and Economic Empowerment Specialist

Andreja Rosandic

Lecturer at Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences University of Zagreb

Zahra I. Lethome

Office Manager, Ashoka East Africa

Managing Director, Griller Kabel

Maurizio Bergia

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

Social Business Consultant, Alumna of the Visionary Program

Stefan van der Swaluw

Program Director at SOS Children's Villages The Netherlands

Charles Karimbu Kimathi

Head of Corporate Affairs & Partnerships The Standard Group PLC

Torsten Engelage

Risk Management and Compliance for the PwC Advisory

Gabriela Vondrusova

Change Manager and Community Mobilizer at Ashoka Czech Republic

Tangaza University

Peter Herreiner

Financial Advisor & Supervisory Board Member

Veronica Pistyur

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

Sustainability Specialist Enel Romania

Josep Maria Miró Pascual

Social Innovation Consultant JovesLab (Spain)

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

Project Lead Developing Neighborhood Institute

Managing Director at EnableMe Foundation

Cecilia Toncic-Sorinj

Finding sustainable solutions in gastronomy.

Regional director of the social enterprise Sindbad

Educator and project manager, AG Di Donato

Ethiopia Program Manager at African Disability Forum

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

Ondřej Zapletal

Executive Director, Depositum Bonum Foundation Prag

Stefanie Kirwald

Consultant Alumnae*I Network

Birgit Radl-Wanko

Managing Director of younus Mentoring

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

Lisa Binderberger

Founder of Boom Creative Lab

Municipality Director, Kajiado County Kenya

Ferdinand Pelzlmayer

Human Rights Lawyer, Switzerland/Austria

Director of Programmes European Journalism Center (EJC)

Krzsytof Rutkowski

Director Magovox

Sabrina Stepanian

Founder, STEPANIAN CONSULTING e.U.

Clara Conrad-Billroth

Venture Creation Lead University of Vienna

Blühendes Österreich

Christophe Cuny

Individual Giving Department Lead, SOS Children's Villages International

Jindra Marešová

Director, Albatros Foundation

Managing Director at Viva con Agua Österreich

Partnership Expert at Light for the World

Selene Orellana

Communications Lead at Planeterra Foundation