
"Build a sustainable future - fast"
"That is my guiding principle. I want to help accelerate the sustainable development of the world. Three factors are decisive for me in this: knowledge, capital and reach. For 25 years, I have been active in the fields of research and education, business and entrepreneurship as well as marketing and technology. In the SDGs4future.org project, I can now combine all my experience and acquired skills.
Find out more about my CV, my professional development, milestones, projects, personal background and more on this page."
Contact and profile
- Name: Daniel Nicolai, née Klink
- Year of birth: 1979
- Place of birth: Lichtenberg, East Berlin
- Nationality: German
- Study: Humboldt University of Berlin
- Study subjects: Economics and Business Administration, Business Law, Entrepreneurship and International Management
- Academic degree: Diplom-Kaufmann
- Awards: Humboldt Award 2008, Europe Award 2009
- Marital status: Married
- Children: Two grown-up daughters
- Place of residence: Berlin-Charlottenburg, Germany
- Office address: Meinekestraße 26, 10719 Berlin
- Phone: +49 178 8552873
- E-mail: d.nicolai@sdgs4future.org
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-nicolai-kne
A youth in East and West
Childhood in the GDR
In late August 1979, I was born in the city that was the center of the world conflicts of the 20th century: Berlin. The lottery of life decided that I should spend my childhood in East Berlin. The political situation shaped my experiences very early on. My mother's side of the family was critical of the system. My grandfather, a worker who was part of the uprising on June 17, 1953, was a symbol of this. On the other hand, my family on my father's side was inclined towards the socialist system. While my grandmother worked as a nurse, my grandfather was a policeman. My parents were both ordinary employees.
I often say that the wall ran through my family. My parents' divorce and a Stasi intrigue manifest this state of affairs to this day. The collision with the system ensured that I went to West Berlin with my mother as a refugee on November 10, 1989, when I was ten years old. I brought with me the experience of being one of the last contemporary witnesses of the GDR education system. As the best in my class, I was naturally the group council leader. Flag appeals, meetings of the Young Pioneers and sports programs at school met 80s pop culture on West German television, Bravo, Lego, Mickey Mouse and Michael Jackson at home. Contrasts and contradictions that made me fundamentally critical.
Youth in West Germany
In West Berlin in the 1990s, I was able to enjoy a humanist education at a grammar school in Berlin-Charlottenburg. We were brought up to engage in discourse and learned to think critically. History was my favorite subject. Overall, it was a time of hope and joy. At the same time, technical developments were taking place, which I had to and was allowed to actively experience. Schiller-Gymnasium was technically very advanced. We had computers, a digital camera and took part in the first tests for virtual classrooms. My girlfriend's father had an internet connection, which we couldn't really do anything with yet.
These experiences between East and West, between an analog childhood and digital innovations, between a world behind walls and a world characterized by boundlessness, growth and peace, have had a lasting impact on me and are the driving force behind my desire to make the world a little better without bias."
Thirsty for knowledge and hungry for education
"I was always thirsty for knowledge and still am. After the experiences of my childhood and youth, I decided to study economics. It seemed important to me to understand how the system that had prevailed worked. But it also left many doors open to me for possible future careers. A year abroad in New York, which gave me the opportunity to attend some courses at Bard College, opened up my interest in the subject area of "Responsible Leadership". From then on, I focused a lot on the human side of business. In the fields of entrepreneurship, management, responsibility, sociology and cultural studies, philosophy and ethics, psychology, politics and history, I looked for explanations as to why the world is the way it is.
Then, by chance, I came across the topic of the honorable businessman."

Education
Instructor
- IHK Berlin,
IHK trainer according to AEVO (Trainer Aptitude Ordinance) 2021 - In order to be able to train employees in my company, I completed the trainer course.
Doctoral thesis (paused)
- Humboldt University of Berlin
- Doctoral thesis at the Institute of Management, Economics and Social Sciences 2007-2010
- "The importance of honorable merchants for the economy and society" (working title)
After graduating with a degree in business administration, I was offered a doctorate by the Institute of Management. My doctoral thesis expands on the research findings of my diploma thesis from an overall societal perspective and includes a qualitative interview analysis with well-known top German entrepreneurs and top managers.
During my doctoral studies, I endeavored to make the topic of the "honorable businessman" accessible to a broader public. Among other things, I launched the online information portal on the model of the honorable businessman.
I also supported academic work at the Institute of Management by supervising various research seminars with a focus on responsible leadership and supervising bachelor's, master's and diploma theses as well as preparing expert reports.
I paused my doctorate in favor of founding my company KNE.
Courses
- Credo and Credibility,
Haniel Summer School 2009 Humboldt University of Berlin - Young Leaders Seminar "Future Scenario 2030 - Global Challenges for a Social Market Economy", 2009 Martin Luther University
Study
- Humboldt University of Berlin
Diploma/Masters Degree, Economics 2000-2007
My business studies at Humboldt University comprised a quarter each of business law, economics and business administration. The last quarter included my specializations in entrepreneurship and international management.
Guest student
- Bard College
Globalization and International Affairs Program, "Writing on International Affairs", "The Spread of Democracy" & "Ethics and International Politics" 2003
At Bard City College in New York City, I supplemented my knowledge of economics with political and ethical knowledge.
Study financing
- Jewish Museum Berlin
From 2000 to 2008, I financed my studies as a host at the Jewish Museum Berlin. During this time, I not only got to know Jewish culture better, but also many people from non-business courses - an important reality check for the one-sided teachings of business studies.
School
- Abitur
Schiller-Gymnasium Berlin-Charlottenburg, until 1999
Awards and honors
Prices
- Europa-Preis 2009
Awarded by: VBKI - Association of Berlin Merchants and Industrialists - March 2009
Europa-Preis 2009 - Award for special insights for the pan-European understanding for the diploma thesis "Der ehrbare Kaufmann" written at the Faculty of Economics of the Humboldt University of Berlin, Institute of Management
- Humboldt Award 2008
Presented by: Humboldt University of Berlin - Sept. 2008
Humboldt Prize for the best interdisciplinary diploma thesis of the year 2007/2008, topic "The Honorable Businessman", written at the Faculty of Economics of the Humboldt University of Berlin, Institute of Management
- Schiller-Gymnasium Berlin
Prize Literature Competition - Schiller High School in Berlin, 1999
Best short story: "Mirror Images of Consciousness or the Story of a New World and its Gods"
Scholarship
- Doctoral Scholarship
Awarded by: Heinz and Heide Dürr Foundation - June 2008
Two-and-a-half-year scholarship to write the dissertation project "The Importance of Honorable Merchants for the Economy and Society" (working title)
Publications
I was subsequently able to publish the findings from my thesis "The Honorable Merchant" and thus make them accessible to a wider readership. The book project "Humboldt's Innovations", which I was able to co-edit, is an anthology that pays homage to the innovations produced by people associated with Humboldt-Universität.
Article (Science)
The honorable businessman as an individual category of responsibility in CSR research
Corporate Social Responsibility
in Responsible corporate management in theory and practice, Springer Gabler - Aug. 15, 2015
Overview of the state of research on the topic of the "honorable businessman" and consideration of the historical development of the guiding principle in the standard work on responsible corporate governance.
Book
Humboldt's Innovations - Social, Scientific and Economic Entrepreneurship at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Vergangenheitsverlag - Nov. 5, 2011
A book for utopians and entrepreneurs... Who hasn't thought about changing the world, making their own mark on it? The fact that today's German capital is a veritable treasure trove of ideas is proven above all by its first university. In the 200 years of its existence, Humboldt-Universität has produced countless innovations for business, culture and society. Former students, staff, professors and many a president of the university were infected with the belief that they could change society with the knowledge they acquired at HU - despite all resistance. Over the last 200 years, Humboldtians have developed ideas that have made history - from mocking voles to walking tectonic plates. The book presents cultural and social entrepreneurs, scientific entrepreneurs and a selection of lateral thinkers who studied or worked at the HU: From Emil Adolf von Behring and Ernst F. Schering to Alice Salomon, Frank Castorf, Heinz Berggruen and young HU spin-offs. An invitation to entrepreneurship and a spirit of innovation.
Articles (Magazine)
The honorable merchant
GDI IMPULS "Honesty - What the rest of the economy can learn from trade. And the retailers too, of course.", Issue 2 - Summer 2009, pp. 8-14 - May 12, 2010
Cover story of the renowned business magazine. Issue 2.09 of "GDI Impuls" goes all the way back to the Middle Ages in search of the secrets of success in the oldest and most customer-oriented industry in the world: retail.
Article (Science)
The Honorable Businessman - The original model of business administration and individual basis for CSR research in: "Corporate Social Responsibility", Zeitschrift für Betriebswirtschaft - Journal of Business Economics, Special Issue 3/2008 - March 16, 2008
Based on an analysis of social history, this article shows that merchants do not need separate ethics or specially developed codes if they follow the original model of business administration - the model of the honorable merchant. This model has been taught in merchant manuals since the 12th century. An honorable merchant operates sustainably. To do so, he uses his economic expertise and a bundle of virtues to ensure his long-term economic success. When making decisions, he pays responsible attention to the consequences for society and social peace. With regard to current CSR research, the article shows that the topic of social responsibility is not new, but has been an issue at an individual level for centuries. The Honorable Businessman gives CSR research an individual basis which - integrated into the basic subjects at universities - can provide young entrepreneurs and managers with a meaningful guideline for responsible and sustainable business.
Article (Newspaper)
The renaissance of the honorable merchant
Handelsblatt - Nov. 26, 2007
Since the 1990s, managers have increasingly come under public criticism. Young managers and executives without experience are often overwhelmed by their tasks. But what is the ideal behavior of a manager? The renaissance of an old model could provide an answer.
Speeches, lectures and interviews
The financial crisis and the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers coincided exactly with my research on the topic of the "honorable businessman". The media interest in this responsible approach was correspondingly high. I was invited to many lectures, was a TEDx speaker and also an interview partner in a Spiegel TV documentary.
Lecture (Web)
"Digital inclusion strategies for sustainable development"
UN World Summit on the Information Society 2024(WSIS+20) in Geneva - May 30. 2024
Read more here.
Interview (Radio)
"Model for employers: the honorable businessman"
Deutschlandradio Kultur interview - Nov. 3, 2014
Lecture (Web)
"TEDx The Honorable Merchant"
TEDx Berlin "Thinking Change" - July 16, 2012
Presentation at the Google headquarters Unter den Linden on my personal research motivations and the guiding principle of the Honorable Merchant.
Lecture (impulse)
"The honorable merchant - a European economic tradition"
Lecture to a delegation of Chinese university representatives - Nov. 25, 2011
Lecture (Keynote)
"The honorable businessman - ideal in theory - management model in practice"
Keynote speech at the economic forum "Leading companies into the future" of the city of Zwickau - Nov. 10, 2011
Lecture (speech)
"The Hanseatic Tradition of Honorable Merchants in Globalizing Markets"
Opening speech for the new MBA class of the Hamburg School of Business Administration - Oct. 6, 2011
Lecture (speech)
"The honorable merchant - economic virtues against the sins of the market?"
Dinner Speach at the Catholic Community of Brussels - June 8, 2011
Lecture (panel discussion)
"CSR - More than marketing?"
7th CSR Weekend of the University of Mannheim - Apr. 15, 2011
Lecture (specialist lecture)
"Trust in the future - The honorable merchant - guarantor of the social market economy in a sustainably developed social order"
Lecture at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin - Apr. 5, 2011
Interview (TV)
in the Spiegel TV documentary "Made in Germany: An economic fairy tale!"
Spiegel TV - Oct. 2, 2010
Four-hour Spiegel TV documentary on the German economy with interviews.
To mark the 20th anniversary of German reunification, Spiegel TV produced a four-hour documentary on German economic life. I was asked about my views on the economic crisis, family businesses and the model of the honorable businessman.
Lecture (panel discussion)
"Responsible leadership and management education - What kind of curricula do we need?"
Chair of a panel at the 4th International Conference on CSR in Berlin - Sept. 23, 2010
Lecture (specialist lecture)
"The Honorable Businessman - Cultural Basis for Sustainable Economic Management"
Expert contribution at Humboldt's Student Conference - Generation Sustainability, Berlin - June 18, 2010
Lecture (speech)
"The Honorable Merchant"
Table Talk at the 1st Table Talks in the Müllerhaus, Zurich, Switzerland - May 7, 2010
Interview (magazine)
"The return of the honorable merchant"
Psychology Today - 16 Apr. 2010
Andreas Huber interviewed me about the model of the honorable businessman.

Researcher and activist
From honorable merchant to educational entrepreneur
"As chance would have it, I was dealing with the topic of the "honorable merchant" almost at the same time as the financial crisis. The old European model for merchants, which combined the pursuit of economic profit with social responsibility, fascinated me. My diploma thesis at Humboldt University won several awards and I continued my research with a dissertation. Public interest was very high at the time and I was given the opportunity to set up an online educational platform on the subject at the Institute of Management. I gave many lectures and campaigned to strengthen the topic of leadership responsibility. I got involved in teaching, taught students, entrepreneurs and managers and launched several educational projects, including one to bring responsibility-oriented business into school education. After all, what is the point of responsibility in business if it is not recognized as such by citizens?"
Research
Research topic "Honorable Businessman"
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Nov. 2006-June 2011 - 3 years 8 months
I have been interested in responsible leadership since 2003. With the topic of "honorable merchants", I found a largely unexplored field of research in my final thesis in 2007. I continued my research in my dissertation, which has the working title "The importance of honorable merchants for business and society".
On the one hand, I use qualitative expert interviews to explore the dimensions of this guiding principle; on the other hand, I ask myself whether such a guiding principle can still be a social imperative for economic activity today.
My doctorate has been on hold since KNE was founded, but I still want to complete it.
Teaching activity
Teaching
Over the past 20 years, I have held various teaching positions. I have trained and educated pupils, students on Bachelor's and Master's courses, managers on MBA courses, entrepreneurs and my employees in various formats.
Executives
HSBA - Hamburg School of Business Administration, 2012 to 2018
Teaching for managers in the MBA program in the module "CR & Responsible Leadership", in the module "Decision Making" of the study program "Sustainability and Digital Transformation"
In cooperation with Werte[Institut], Schloss Waldeck, Hesse, 2013
Two-day business workshop on the model of the honorable businessman at Schloss Waldeck
Together with the Odysseus Initiative "Holistic Strategies for Entrepreneurs and Executives", Berlin 2013-2014
Humboldt-Innovation GmbH, Berlin, 2012-2013
One-day start-up workshop on sustainable corporate management
Bachelor, Diploma and Master students
HSBA - Hamburg School of Business Administration, 2012 to 2018
Teaching for Bachelor and Master students "CR & Responsible Leadership" in the "Decision Making" module of the "Sustainability and Digital Transformation" program
Supervision of theses in the same subject area
Humboldt University of Berlin, Institute of Management, 2008 to 2010
Supervision of various research seminars with a focus on Responsible Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), additional supervision of Bachelor's, Master's and Diploma theses, preparatory preparation of expert reports
Students
Together for Fiko GmbH, Berlin, 2012-2014
Business cycle and entrepreneurship workshops in school project weeks for middle school students at Berlin schools as part of the I'll work program
Employee
KNE Group
In-house employee training in various topics
Practical supervisor for my employees' Bachelor's and Master's theses in various subject areas in the field of sustainable marketing
Educational projects
Diverse activities in the field of education
For me, education is a fundamental value and means much more than simply absorbing knowledge. Humanistic education is the comprehensive development of a person. Knowledge plays an important role in this, but so do the development of skills and abilities, sport, music, art, but also character building, social reflection and politics. Based on this premise, I have repeatedly immersed myself in educational projects.
Development of the education project SDGs4future.org, KNE Sustainability Insitute, since 2022
I initiated the SDGs4future project to provide young people worldwide with education on the UN Sustainable Development Goals via a free e-learning platform and to motivate them to act sustainably.
KNE Global Goals Compass, KNE Sustainability Insitute, since 2019
I developed the Global Goals Compass to help companies align their strategies with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Communication projects for various schools, since 2015
Development of various communication measures (webpages, social media, campaigns, etc.) as part of my communication agency KNE.marketing, including for Phorms Schools, the IB Strothoff International School in Frankfurt, the Dore Jakobs Berufskolleg in Essen and the Stadtteilschule in Barmbeck Hamburg.
Development of the guiding principles of the honorable merchant
Participation in various initiatives to develop guiding principles for honorable merchants. Including leadership of the relevant working group at the Association of Berlin Merchants and Industrialists (VBKI), participation in various IHK initiatives and in the Junior Chamber of Commerce.
Development and implementation of the "Arbeitsfüchse" vocational training project, 2013-2015
Together with the FIKO Institute, I developed the "Arbeitsfüchse" project, acquired funding in two Berlin districts and implemented the project with the "Füchse Berlin" sports club. The project was aimed at unemployed, socially disadvantaged young people who did not know what they wanted to do for a living. Through sport and career coaching, they were motivated, educated and trained and empowered to make their career choice.
Organization of various educational events at the Institute of Management at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Management, 2008 to 2011
Among other things, organization of the contribution to the Long Night of Science, independent organization of a sub-event at the Vision Summit 2012.
Educational projects for more economic knowledge in schools
Economic knowledge is still underrepresented in German schools. I have developed and supported various educational projects to remedy this deficiency. Development and implementation of the Entrepreneurs in Schools project. In this project, entrepreneurs visited various schools in Berlin and taught them about the entrepreneurial profession.
I have helped to develop various business curricula for pupils and have also taught these in schools myself. I was a founding member of the WinB - Wirtschaft in die Bildung e.V. association.
Promoting the topic of entrepreneurship
Together with the Humboldt University's start-up promotion organization, Humboldt-Innovation GmbH, I published the book project "Humboldt's Innovations - Social, Scientific and Economic Entrepreneurship at the Humboldt University of Berlin" in 2010. I also support the NFTE Network for teaching entrepreneurship.
Initiative to communicate the model of the honorable businessman
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin 2007 to 2011
In 2007/2008, my thesis on the topic of the "honorable businessman" provided an answer to the important questions raised by the economic crisis (Lehman Brothers, etc.). I was of the opinion that it was not enough just to research the topic. Rather, it is important to communicate the knowledge gained to society. For this reason, with the support of my doctoral supervisor at the Institute of Management, I organized various initiatives to communicate this traditional model.
Economy, Company, Founding
"Theory isn't everything. I always wanted to put what I had learned into practice. In 2003, I went to New York and worked there as an assistant in the Inhouse Consulting department at Deutsche Telekom The Americas. I analyzed the telecommunications market and prepared reports for the company management.

In my free time in New York, I liked to take a lot of photos, digitally for the first time. My New York photos were popular with my friends and when I came back to Berlin, I produced a photo CD with pictures of Berlin together with a fellow student and sold them to tourist stores in Berlin. That was my first small business.
At Humboldt-Innovation GmbH, I applied my knowledge from my entrepreneurship studies to the Humboldt University's start-up support program and implemented a book project entitled "Humboldt's Innovations", which was intended to serve as inspiration and motivation for young founders from the university.
Another educational project for which I raised the funds and was responsible for project communication was called "Arbeitsfüchse". It helped unemployed young people to gain more career guidance with the help of sports coaching. The practical experience I gained in the areas of business start-ups, financing and fundraising is now an important building block for accelerating sustainable development."
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneur since 2003
Even when I was at school, I was fascinated by the possibility of being self-employed. I was always full of ideas and creativity. So it was only logical that I wanted to study business and in my main subjects, International Management and Entrepreneurship, I learned the theory, which I was able to apply in practice during my studies.
Founder and Managing Director of KNE.institute, 2023
The most fundamental building block for sustainable development is knowledge about sustainability. It offers the greatest impact, but also faces the challenge that this knowledge is being built up more slowly than our development is currently taking place. That is why I formally founded the non-profit KNE Sustainability Institute gGmbH in 2024 to bring knowledge from research into practice (KNE Academy) and, above all, into education (SDGs4future.org) with the help of modern video-based e-learning formats and technologies.
So know-how for sustainable development: KNE.
Founder of KNE.investments, Berlin 2021
In addition to communication, capital is an important booster for sustainable projects, organizations and companies. That's why I founded KNE.investments to bring capital and know-how together. KNE.investments aims to show investors and investors ways to invest their capital in a sustainable future. We also support company founders with sustainable business ideas on topics such as business plans, pitch decks and developing their business model.
So capital for sustainable development: KNE.
Founder and Managing Director of the communications agency KNE.marketing as a GmbH, Berlin since 2015
Even as a self-employed person, I called my sole proprietorship KNE. After the Arbeitsfüchse education project, for which I was already responsible for all marketing, I founded KNE as a GmbH and built it up into what is now an internationally active communications agency with more than ten employees. Our goal is to give sustainable organizations, projects and companies more visibility. We support this in the form of full-service communication services.
So communication for sustainable development: KNE.
Freelance consultant 2007 to 2015
After graduating, I worked as a freelance consultant on various projects and initiatives alongside my doctorate. Through activities as a speaker, lecturer and consultant, for example for Humboldt-Innovation GmbH and FIKO GmbH, I was able to specialize in the field of sustainability communication and the topic of "honorable businessman". In 2010, I officially founded my company as KNE - Klink Nachhaltigkeitsexpertise. In all my activities, I have always built up practical marketing knowledge because it is the key to transferring knowledge. To this day, I am able to create all service offers myself, even though employees are now required to carry out the tasks. Nevertheless, being able to do things yourself is an important prerequisite for good advice and decision-making.
Founded my first company pho-town Berlin with a focus on digital photography, 2004 to 2007
During my year abroad in New York City, I did a lot of photography and received a lot of encouragement for it. I founded pho-town Berlin at the same time as majoring in entrepreneurship. Together with a fellow student, I took photos of Berlin and we created the first photo book of Berlin on CD-Rom, the "Berlin Photo Collection". We sold the CDs to Berlin tourism businesses and thus gained our first practical experience as entrepreneurs.
As more interesting projects arose after my studies, I decided to close the company. However, digital photography is still a central interest and lives on in my agency as a focus in the area of content creation.
Management
Management talent
I have spent very little of my life working in salaried management positions. But in my first personal and professional positions, I quickly realized that I had a talent for management. I soon put this to good use in my self-employed and entrepreneurial activities.
Corporate Communications and Consulting at Deutsche Telekom in New York City, 2003 to 2004
In a full-time internship, I produced daily industry news for the CEO in Germany and the Group management. I researched information on the telecommunications market in North and South America and created a summary of the most important news in the form of web pages using Microsoft Frontpage and an e-mail newsletter. As assistant to the head of the Market Intelligence Department (internal consulting), I supported a consulting project on the future of digital television, at that time with the working title T-Home, now better known as Magenta TV.
Project management at CinemaxX at Potsdamer Platz, Berlin 2000
CinemaxX at Potsdamer Platz is one of the largest cinemas in Germany. My first professional experience began in this movie theater. I was responsible for assisting the theater manager there for four weeks. After that, I was assigned the project "European Championship 2000 at the cinema", which I coordinated and organized on site in Berlin with the group management in Hamburg. As a result, the CinemaxX at Potsdamerplatz had the second highest attendance figures of all 28 cinemas in the cinema chain in Germany.
Team manager of the university club TSV Eichkamp, Berlin 2001
I enjoyed playing soccer at school. This led to me founding a university team called TSV Eichkamp together with friends in 1998. In 2001, I organized the team and managed the games. It was my first experience with team responsibility.
Personal assistant to the head of the ammunition and fuel group in the Neugraben barracks in Hamburg 1999-2000
During my basic military service in the Panzergrenadier battalion in Hamburg, I managed ammunition stocks as assistant to the group leader and provided support with administrative activities. My last rank was lance corporal.

Advertising is education
"With my extensive knowledge of corporate responsibility, sustainability, education and internet technology, I founded KNE in 2010, first as a freelancer and then in 2015 as a limited company with employees. I initially developed various projects in the field of education together with different partners and advised my first clients in the field of web communication. Even as a teenager, I could spend hours being creative with Microsoft Paint. Over the decades, I acquired almost all the important creative programs, learned and developed solutions in the areas of social media, SEO, online marketing, video creation, marketing automation, AI and built up my own team. Today, we develop brands, strategies and implement communication measures for sustainably oriented companies, organizations and projects. Marketing and technologies, such as e-learning, are the means to a sustainable end. After all, the best sustainable business model coupled with the most money will not be successful if the target group is not reached. And in the field of sustainable marketing, the following applies above all: "Advertising is education". Much more so than in other sectors."
Marketing projects
Communication for sustainable development
Ever since I was a child, I have been interested in elements that are now part of modern marketing. From the first digital graphics in Windows 3.1, to dot matrix printers, digital photography, Photoshop, web design and so on. Understanding technology, using it and turning it into communication is something I still do today. The goal is always to help projects, organizations and companies with a positive impact to become more visible and therefore more successful. In over ten years, we have set up and supported many projects. Here is a selection of projects and clients assigned to marketing fields:
Strategy consulting
Johanniter, WEtell, mährle Wolle
Full-service marketing
PwC Sustainability Congress, naturstadt.berlin, Wemedoo
Websites
Brodowin, We Impact, Green Your Life
Content creation
Environmental reports, sustainability communication for websites OVB Europe, KATE Environment and Development
Social media editing and support
Goethe-Institut, Mein KV-Dienst
Social media campaigns
Including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn for Fairtrade, SCOPE trade fair strategy
Google Ads and search engine optimization
Waldorfshop, Maas Naturmode, Glomer
Email marketing and marketing automation
Phorms, CORESZON, Strothoff International School
Branding and corporate design
ChocQlate, Boettger Group
Print and other offline media
AWO, a tip: tap, PhysioZENtrum
Image and moving image
Deutsche Welle, Forum Werteorientierung in der Weiterbildung, Dore Jacobs Berufskolleg
3D, AR and VR
CHT Berlin, Change Hub Berlin
Digitization projects
Digitalization for more speed
Today, marketing goes hand in hand with the digitalization of processes. KNE is now an almost 100% virtual company. Thanks to efficient digital tools such as intranet, project management software, digital billing, cloud storage and process automation techniques, as well as the use of artificial intelligence, we are able to work seamlessly and efficiently with customers and partners all over the world.
As a result, we have developed further expertise in a number of fields, which has been reflected in various consulting projects such as digital asset management system selection and implementation, e-commerce system consulting and our own e-learning technology development, which we can use for our non-profit project SDGs4future.org, among others.
Love, love, love
My better half
"With so many projects, there's not much time for other things. It's a good thing that I'm not only married to my work, but also to my wife. She has been with me and I with her since 2010. As a professional photographer and videographer, Helen works side by side with me every day and complements me with her character and skills. She founded KNE together with me. She is always there for me, has my back and gives me a headache. I wouldn't be complete without her. It is my greatest happiness to have such a special woman with me. Our daughters and our dog Lara accompanied us for a long time. The daughters are now both off on their own paths (one into education, the other into business) and the dog has sadly gone to heaven after more than 17 years. As a result, we now have time for a new baby: SDGs4future.org."

Interests and hobbies
- Photography (analog and digital)
- Science fiction:
- Best book: Cixin Liu "Trisolaris"
- Best series: Dark
- Best movie: Back to the Future II
- Nintendo (NES to Switch)
- Quest AR & VR
- Travel and cultures
- Sports: tennis, cycling, basketball, weight training
Knowledge and skills
Specialist knowledge:
- Economics
- Corporate management
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
- Project and education management
- Corporate identity and brand development
Technical skills:
- Digital media and marketing technologies
- Creative software
- Digitalization and process automation
- Web and communication design
Research and teaching skills:
- Research
- Academic teaching
- Supervision of research projects
Languages and intercultural skills:
- German and English
- Intercultural competence
Communication and presentation:
- Public lectures
- Publications
- Media appearances
Consulting and corporate development:
- Strategy consulting
- Foundation and management
- Voluntary activities
Personal interests and strengths:
- Sustainability and social responsibility
- Technology affinity
- Creativity and adaptability
- Curiosity and continuous learning
- Solution-oriented thinking - true to the motto: "There is always a solution, you just have to search and try long enough."
- Empathy and team orientation
Honorary posts and memberships
Volunteering
Volunteering is an important pillar of civil society. As far as possible, I have supported various projects on a voluntary basis.
Elected member of the IHK-Berlin General Assembly, 2013 to 2017
Participation in the IHK-Berlin Entrepreneurs' Parliament
Member of the Business and Ethics Working Group of VBKI - Verein Berliner Kaufleute und Industrieller, 2010 to 2015
Head of the VBKI Guiding Principles Working Group
Background to the guiding principles: Entrepreneurs are confronted with conflicting goals every day in the daily decision-making process. To translate timelessly valid moral standards into the language of today's business world, the committee has therefore formulated the ten guiding principles of honorable merchants, which are intended to help members and the economy in general to orient themselves in terms of business ethics in the context of unavoidable conflicts of objectives and interests.
Vice President of the Forum Werteorientierung in der Weiterbildung, FWW e.V., 2012 to 2015
Support for events and communication measures
Team manager of the Berlin university football club TSV Eichkamp in Berlin, 2000 to 2001
Team development and organization
Memberships
- Global Goals Berlin supporting member
- Federal Association for Sustainable Economy BNW
- UN donor member
- Greenpeace donor member
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