I consider the essence of my work as a form of complexity activism: bringing a deeper understanding of how living systems actually work into the way we lead, collaborate, and shape our organisations and societies. Studying complexity sciences opened my eyes to a different way of seeing the world — one in which individuals, relationships, and systems continuously shape one another. I am convinced that many of the challenges we face today would be far easier to navigate if we approached them with a fuller literacy of complexity: one that is not only intellectual, but also emotional, relational, and embodied. This orientation underpins my leadership development work, my writing and speaking, and my civic engagement.

Scientific background

My path began in the natural sciences. I studied mathematics, geography, and ecology in Munich, Sweden, and Berkeley, California, and completed a PhD in complexity science at the Center for Complexity Sciences at Imperial College London. My research focused on ecosystem dynamics, self-organisation, resilience, and evolution — essentially on how nature organises complex systems, how individuals shape the whole, and how the whole in turn shapes individuals. It was a great privilege to explore these abstract questions for several years, and they continue to inform how I understand human systems today.

Professional background

After my academic work, I turned to the practical side of systems: how organisations function, how people lead, how culture forms, and how change actually happens. I worked in sustainability consulting with fors.earth, in strategy consulting with McKinsey & Company, and in leadership advisory consulting with Egon Zehnder, focussing on leadership and team development, culture transformations and leadership in complexity and uncertainty.

Human orientation

What has stayed constant across all of this is a deep interest in how people make meaning together, how relationships shape systems, and how honesty, care, and presence can enable belonging and movement. I believe it is one of our most human acts to discern what truly matters to us, to show up for it, and to bring it into the relationships we hold. The willingness to do this fully and courageously, without control, without guarantees, is where our deepest contribution begins.

I am based in Munich, Germany, and work internationally.