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.

Christina Kauer

CONCORDIA Sozialprojekte

Obayda Abo Asbeh

Founder Sanad Yoth Association (Israel)

Communications and Marketing Expert

National Director, SOS Children's Villages Jordan

Eastern Africa Managing Director of Trace

Development Specialist fpr NGOs

President of LEADER Network Croatia

Changemaker from Israel, Assistant General Director Municipality of Nazareth

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

Managing Director, Griller Kabel

Monika Ségur-Cabanac

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

Municipality Director, Kajiado County Kenya

Head Of Department Development at SWISSAID

Veronica Pistyur

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

Assistant to VIP & Exhibitor Relations

Violeta Philippitsch

Leitung Kundenbereich EU & International, Umweltbundesamt - Environment Agency Austria

Elin Baranyai-Ulvestad

Project Manager, Austrian Red Cross

Clemens Mulokozi

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

Regional director of the social enterprise Sindbad

Elisabeth Campestrini

CEO of Progressive Health Consulting

Goran Medakovic

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

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

Lisa Binderberger

Founder of Boom Creative Lab

Gabriele Hampson

Managing Director at W*ORT

Katarina Banicevic

Teamleader South East Europe, Austrian Red Cross

Samya El Mousti

National Director SOS Children’s Villages Morocco

Alexandra Nitzlader

Senior Project Manager HYPO NOE Gruppe Bank

Senior business analyst for public health

Andreja Rosandic

Lecturer at Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences University of Zagreb

Kristina Kroyer

Program Coordinator at HORIZONT3000

Orsolya Ifi-Valde

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

Eghosa Erhumwunse

National Director SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria

Changemaker from Israel, VP Dualis social investment fund

Angelika Bartholomäi

Director of the coordination office, StartNet Italy

Changemaker from Egypt, Member of the Egyptian Parliament

Madeleine Pawlowicz

Project Lead Saving Angel, Germany

Irit Zviely Efrat

Chief Operations Officer at Hillel

Torsten Engelage

Risk Management and Compliance for the PwC Advisory

TV host The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation

Ferdinand Pelzlmayer

Human Rights Lawyer, Switzerland/Austria

Educator and project manager, AG Di Donato

Stefanie Kotrba

OPEC Fund for International Development

Ondřej Zapletal

Executive Director, Depositum Bonum Foundation Prag

Ahmed Abdelgalil

VP alumnus & Gender and Economic Empowerment Specialist

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

Managing Director of the International Association of Lake Constance Universities

Country Representative of Ashoka Hungary

Director of Programmes European Journalism Center (EJC)

Head of Finance & Service, Österreichische Caritaszentrale

CEO GTS - Technologies Ltd (Israel)

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

Project assistant & communication manager, Ashoka Italy

CEO Midot, promoting impact (Israel)

Danijel Baturina

Assistant professor in University of Zagreb

Grant Administrator, Porticus Nairobi

Sozialwirtschaft Steiermark

Birgit Radl-Wanko

Managing Director of younus Mentoring

Eduard Trampusch

Head of International Programmes, Austrian Red Cross

Krzsytof Rutkowski

Director Magovox

Markéta Pěchoučková

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

Christof Gruber-Harrich

Consultant, Austria

Finance Manager Ashoka Austria, Visionary Program Manager & Communication

Elisabeth Siencnik

Startup Coach; Co-founder & CFO reha buddy

Magdalena Dul-Komosinska

CEE Director, Climate KIC

Br. Dr. Jonas Yawovi Dzinekou

Director, Institute for Social Transformation Tangaza University College

Director at Kino Zona, Croatia

Franziska Wizany

Cultural advisor

Eleonora Cadone

Community Integrator, Ashoka Italy

Father Charles Chilufya

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

former Operations Manager Ashoka CEE

Christoph Soukup

Senior Project Manager HYPO NOE Gruppe Bank

Alicia Rodriguez

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

Head of Operations at Bethnal Green Ventures

Stefanie Kirwald

Consultant Alumnae*I Network

Claudia Lingner

Managing Director Ludwing Boltzmann Gesellschaft

Social Entrepreneurship Development Officer Athens Development and Destination Management Agency

Managing Partner, Culen Mayrhofer Partner

Charles Karimbu Kimathi

Head of Corporate Affairs & Partnerships The Standard Group PLC

Business Angel & Mentor

Sumita Kunashakaran

Project Manager at the Zero Project

Sustainability Specialist Enel Romania

Cornelia Faisst

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

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

Corinna Geissler

Head of Advocacy & Child Rights, UNICEF Austria

Christiane Holzinger

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

Partnership Manager Ashoka

Sabrina Stepanian

Founder, STEPANIAN CONSULTING e.U.

Katharina Markovics

Professor of Musicology at New England Conservatory in Boston

Claire de Lafarge

Founder and CEO, Dialogue Social Enterprise; Ashoka Fellow

Andrea Kretschmer

Manager Accenture

Abdikadir Dakane

National Director SOS Children’s Villages Somalia

Partnership Expert at Light for the World

Co-Director Ashoka Austria

Nicola Fraccaroli

Consultant for marketing strategies & business model changes

Margarita Rebetskaya

Choreographier, Ballet dancer & Performance Director

Business Development Manager, TRACE Eastern Africa

Jana Krajcovicova

Private Sector Development Specialist at the World Bank

Founder, Think Opal

Account Manager at RxWare

Clara Conrad-Billroth

Venture Creation Lead University of Vienna

Daniela Herneth

Leadership Coach / People & Business Developer

"i3" (I-Cube) Information Engineering Incubator

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

Co-founder of Venezia Autentica

Pascal Kayiranga MD

Rwanda Red Cross Society

Stefan Lilischkis

Senior consultant, empirica Gesellschaft für Kommunikations- und Technologieforschung mbH

Social Business Consultant, Alumna of the Visionary Program

Urška Starc-Peceny

Chief Innovation Officer, lead Tourism 4.0 at Arctur

President Forum Apulum, Ashoka Fellow

Katharina Jeschke

Austria Secretary General at IMZ International Music + Media Centre

Co-Director of Ashoka Nordics

Maurizio Bergia

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

Agnes Schillhuber

Communications neunerhaus; formerly: Ashoka Austria

Cecilia Toncic-Sorinj

Finding sustainable solutions in gastronomy.

Account Director at Ketchum

Benjamin Dragolj

Founder of Igramo Zajedno Inicijativa – IZI

Karin Haselböck

European Integrator, Ashoka

Susanne Gahleitner

Co-founder Parola, Austria

Johannes Gärtner

CEO Respekt.Net GmbH, Austria

Co-Founder and CEO, DreiKreis Consulting GmbH

Ernest Namanya Rwendeire

Executive Director, Latek Stay Alliance Uganda

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

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

Selene Orellana

Communications Lead at Planeterra Foundation

Michael Hilbert

Head of Business Unit Banking

Ninon Ndayikengurkiye

CARE USA Impact and Innovation Team

Abraham Gossaye

Head of Country Office, Austrian Red Cross in Ethiopia

Monika Hrochova

Program Manager, Educhange Foundation

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

Stefan van der Swaluw

Program Director at SOS Children's Villages The Netherlands

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

Gregor Ruttner-Vicht

CEO of Lower Austrian entity of Sindbad

Heidemarie Messnitzer

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

formerly: Communications for Ashoka Austria

Elisabeth Mayerhofer

Managing Director, Julius Raab Foundation

Katerina Bursikova Jacques

Executive Director, Educational and business centre Sněmovní 7

CEO of Tec-Innovation GmbH

Heidrun Gruber-Größwang

Marketing expert; Founder, Gruber-Größwang Consulting

Flavian Majenga

Senior Project Manager CARE Tanzania

Katharina van Zeller

Founder & CEO DreiKreis

Beata Jaczewska

Managing Director, Visegrad Fund

Christina Purrer

Project Manager at Hil-Foundation gGmbH

Ethiopia Program Manager at African Disability Forum

Project Management SOS Children’s Villages International

Ahmad Abdelgalil

Changemaker from Egypt, Staff Ashoka Arab World

Linda Stucbartova

Partner ATAIRU company, Founder Diversio

Arianna Tripodi

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

Walter Odhiambo

National Director, SoS Children's Villages Kenya

Acting Manager Livelihoods, CARE Uganda

Masha Djordjevic

Program Manager Open Society Foundations

Member of the board of directors, Eduzměna foundation fund

Blühendes Österreich

Karsten Ottenberg

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

Co-Funder Feminist Fund, Ashoka Fellow, Poland

Managing Director at Viva con Agua Österreich

Project Lead Developing Neighborhood Institute

Abubaker Musuuza

Raphaela Toncic-Sorinj

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

Kirsten Tangemann

Managing Director of Social Business Hub Styria

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

Founder and CEO of Raw Culture

Initiator & Head of aws Sustainable Food Systems Initiative

Gabriela Vondrusova

Change Manager and Community Mobilizer at Ashoka Czech Republic

Director of Department National Pedagogical Institute, Czechia

Human Rights Lawyer

Maike Kauffmann

Founder at Purpose Foundation, Germany

Changemaker from Greece, Consultant Costas M. Lemos Foundation

Radoslav Pittner

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

Global Lead Funding Advisor at Joining Forces Initiative by World Vision

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

Account Director at ketchum Publico

Founder, Fairphone

Ashoka Fellow, Founder & Vice President NEVER GIVE UP Onlus

Peter Herreiner

Financial Advisor & Supervisory Board Member

Project Manager of Center Noordung

European Commission/Centre of Thematic Expertise on Civil Society Support

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

Emergency Response Director SOS Children’s Villages International

Silvia Silvozzi

Manager Bottega Terzo Settore - Fondazione Carisap

Head of Implementation Unit Ministry of Justice, Czech Republik

Charlotte Steenbergen

COO of the European Forum Alpbach

Jihad Shoja'eyeh

Founder of “Youth without Borders Network”

Founder Intergenerational Dancing Poland

Klára Rundová

Project Managar Česká spořitelna foundation

Matthias Weichhart

Austrian Research Promotion Agency

Petra Wűnschová

Founder Centrum LOCIKA, Czech Republik

Andrea Babčanová

HR Manager, Visegrad Fund

Jindra Marešová

Director, Albatros Foundation

Manager in PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Public Sector Group

Managing Director at EnableMe Foundation

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

Elisabeth Pipic

Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF)

Christophe Cuny

Individual Giving Department Lead, SOS Children's Villages International

Tangaza University

Milica Aksentic

Head of Communications and CSR at Western Union International Bank

Barbara Mayrhofer

Regional Manager for the Institute for Inclusive Education

Zahra I. Lethome

Office Manager, Ashoka East Africa

Humanitarian and human rights specialist

Josep Maria Miró Pascual

Social Innovation Consultant JovesLab (Spain)

Katharina Okulski

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

Agnieszka Franeczek

Head of Consumer Lending Processes at UniCredit Bank Austria

Initiator, "Steady Steps";Organisational Consultant, Coach