About Us
Our Team
Executive & Administration Team
- Wolfgang Jamann
- Executive Director
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Wolfgang Jamann
Dr. Wolfgang Jamann is the Executive Director at the International Civil Society Centre in Berlin. He has been working in the field of development cooperation and humanitarian assistance for most of his professional life, in the past 15 years in CEO positions at international aid organisations like CARE International, Deutsche Welthungerhilfe and CARE Deutschland. As a strong supporter of inter-organisational collaborations, he has lead strategic partnerships like the ‘Alliance 2015’ or ‘United for Africa’, to promote collective approaches toward large ambitions under the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Kathrin Kirste
- Senior Manager Business Development
- +49 30 20 62 46 97 16
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Kathrin Kirste
Kathrin leads the Finances and Fundraising work at the Centre. She has joined the Centre in early 2017 and since then worked in the role of the Flagship Event Project Officer and also as Development Manager. Before joining the Centre, Kathrin was a freelance journalist who worked mainly for political talk shows at media institutions such RBB, RTL, ZDF or Deutsche Welle. Kathrin also worked with the Hanns-Seidel Foundation in Tanzania and the Green Party at the German Parliament. Kathrin holds a M.Sc. in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam with a focus on international political economy, and a B.A. in Political Science from the Free University Berlin.
- Mamanding Ndow
- Finance Manager
- +49 30 20 62 46 97 20
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Mamanding Ndow
Mamanding joined the Centre in April 2019, managing the Centre’s finances. Prior to joining the team, he worked as Finance Analyst for United Nations Development Programme for seven years. He also worked as Finance Manager and Finance Director for three different International NGOs and brings fifteen years of experience to the Centre. Mamanding is an ACCA Accounting Technician and holds a Masters degree in Financial Services Management from University of Salford, Manchester.
- Outi Ruuska
- Executive Assistant
- +49 30 20 62 46 97 11
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Outi Ruuska
Outi joined the Centre in January 2018. She supports the Executive Director in organisational matters and coordinates the Centre’s governance and legal processes. Her background is in Social Sciences and Environmental Policy. She holds a BA in Social Sciences awarded by the University of Lapland from her native Finland and an MA in Environmental Policy and Planning from the Technische Universität, Berlin. In her master’s thesis, Outi studied the framing of urban climate change adaptation to heat stress in Europe.
- Jorge Tapia de los Reyes
- Student Assistant Finance and Administration
- +49 30 20 62 46 97 20
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Jorge Tapia de los Reyes
Jorge is a second-year graduate student at the University of Erfurt’s Willy Brandt School of Public Policy; his the specialisation tracks are International Affairs & Public and Non-Profit Management. He is currently working in his Master’s thesis on the role of International Organisations, NGOs and CSOs in the implementation of anti-corruption policies in Ecuador. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from the Universidad de las Américas – UDLA of Ecuador. He has worked for the Ecuadorian public sector, mainly in the Electoral System, the Foreign Office and Human Rights protection agencies.
- Anna Wertlen
- Human Resources and Operations Officer
- +49 30 20 62 46 97 10
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Anna Wertlen
Anna joined the Centre in September 2019 and is responsible for HR, Operations and IT. She has more than 10 year of experience in developmental cooperation since she co-founded the South African NGO Village Scribe Association and its sister organisation in Germany aiming to bridge the gap of inequality in South Africa by introducing historically disadvantaged communities to information and communications technology (ICT). Since 2013, the organisation is a host for weltwärts volunteers funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Anna holds a PhD in Neuroethology; she lived and studied in Berlin, South Africa and Argentina.
Fundraising & Communications
- Stevie Hochschlitz
- Fundraising Intern
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Stevie Hochschlitz
Stevie joined the Centre in April 2020 as Fundraising Intern. He is currently a second year Masters student in Urban Development at TU Berlin, where he is writing his thesis on land tenure security in Diamniadio, Senegal. Stevie holds a Bachelor in Applied Langages and International Commerce from Stendhal University Grenoble3.
- Thomas Howie
- Communications Manager
- +49 30 20 62 46 97 17
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Thomas Howie
Thomas joined the Centre in June 2017 as the Communications Coordinator. He is responsible for developing and implementing the Centre’s global communication strategy, as well as the Disrupt & Innovate platform – a place for civil society professionals and activists to discuss current innovations and future trends in the civil society sector. Prior to the Centre, Thomas worked for 5 years in the European Parliament firstly as the Digital and Social Media Coordinator for the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament, and then, after the 2014 European elections, for Jude Kirton-Darling and Paul Brannen as Head of Communications, where he worked on issues such as the EU-US trade deal, issues around Brexit and as a specialist on the Petitions Committee. Thomas graduated from Bristol University with BSci in Geographical Sciences and holds an MA in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford, where he completed research into the role of civil society in the post war peace settlement in northern Uganda.
- Anna Simitchieva
- Fundraising Officer
- +49 30 20 62 46 97 17
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Anna Simitchieva
Anna joined the Centre as Fundraising Officer in November 2019. From Bulgaria, Anna has studied and worked in Germany, Spain, Colombia and Armenia. She gained previous fundraising experience at SODI e.V. in Berlin and in the Caucasus, when she was sent to Armenia by Bread for the World to support Women for Development as Communication for Development and Fundraising Officer for two years. Before entering the nonprofit sector, Anna worked for different (inter-)national TV stations for live news productions in Berlin for more than 5 years, among them RBB and Deutsche Welle. Anna holds a MA in Intercultural Communication Studies from the European University Viadrina in Frankurt Oder and a BA in Journalism and Communication Studies and Spanish from the Free University Berlin.
- Robert Vysoudil
- Communications Student Assistant
- +49 30 20 62 46 97 17
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Robert Vysoudil
Robert joined the team as a Fundraising & Communications Intern in September 2019. He is responsible for promoting the Center and its activities on social media and assisting the Communications Manager. Robert graduated from International Relations and Economic Policy at Masaryk University in Brno. He completed his internship at the Czech Embassy in Tallinn and is now working on Master’s degree in Political Economy of European Integration here at the Berlin School of Economics and Law.
Programme Team
- Eva Gondorová
- Project Manager
- +49 30 20 62 46 97 15
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Eva Gondorová
Eva joined the team as Project Manager in February 2020. She coordinates the project “Solidarity Playbook” which aims at strengthening resilience of and solidarity among civil society actors. Coming from Slovakia, Eva has studied and worked in the Czech Republic, Turkey, and Germany. Prior to joining the Centre she worked at the Robert Bosch Stiftung (Foundation) in Stuttgart where she managed the foundation’s projects focusing on civil society and governance in Turkey, the Western Balkans, and North Africa. Before that she coordinated international summer schools on past and contemporary social movements at the Institute for Social Movements of the Ruhr University Bochum and completed her internships at European Academy in Berlin and Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly in Istanbul. She graduated from the German-Turkish Masters Program in Social Sciences (GeT MA) at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara and Humboldt University in Berlin.
- Nihal Helmy
- Events Manager
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Nihal Helmy
Nihal joined the team as an Events Manager in April 2020. She focusses on organising Global Perspectives which aims at bringing leaders from national and international civil society organisations (CSOs) together to exchange ideas and experiences, make connections, and address the world’s most pressing challenges. Prior to joining the Centre she worked with Mission Talent as a Consultant where she worked as a researcher on searches with BRAC, Greenpeace Canada, Action against Hunger France and Sphere. Nihal has a Bachelor degree in electrical engineering and a Master in Business Administration focusing on Lean Management. She speaks Arabic and English fluently.
- Peter Koblowsky
- Senior Partnership Manager
- +49 30 20 62 46 97 22
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Peter Koblowsky
Peter joined the Centre in January 2013, back then as a trainee. He completed the traineeship in the advocacy & campaigning office of World Vision Germany. Peter now coordinates the Leave No One Behind project as global partnership lead and contributes to the development of various other strategic formats. Before joining the Centre, Peter worked for various organisations and think tanks in the development sector, being an expert in multi-stakeholder processes. He studied at the University of Bonn and graduated with an MA in Political Science with a focus on multi-actor advocacy for climate policy.
- Miriam Niehaus
- Project Manager (on parental leave)
- +49 30 20 62 46 97 15
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Miriam Niehaus
Miriam joined the Centre in 2014 as an Executive Assistant. In 2016 she took on her role as Manager of the Securing Civic Rights projects, namely the Civic Charter and the International Civic Forum and now the Solidarity Playbook. Prior to joining the Centre Miriam worked for VSO International and GIZ in the Palestinian Territories. She holds a BA in Islamic Studies and Social Anthropology from the University of Freiburg and an MA in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies.
- Vicky Tongue
- Programme Manager: Futures and Innovation
- +49 30 20 62 46 97 15
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Vicky Tongue
Vicky Tongue is the International Civil Society Centre’s Programme Manager, co-ordinating the projects and events for the Centre’s innovation programme for ICSOs, and the sector Scanning the Horizon strategic futures peer learning platform. Vicky is the lead author of the Centre’s annual Civil Society Innovation thematic report. Vicky has 15 years’ senior programme management with several leading UK-based ISCOs, including Marie Stopes International, Article 19, CAFOD, ODI and Save the Children.
- Ryan Stanton
- Events Officer
- +49 30 20 62 46 97 15
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Ryan Stanton
Ryan joined the Centre in July 2018 as Events Officer and supports organisation and delivery of the Centre’s events programme. Prior to joining the Centre, Ryan worked for the youth democracy charity “Bite the Ballot” coordinating a European wide competition aimed at increasing youth engagement and turnout in the 2014 European elections, the project culminated in an event at the European Parliament and was named national winner of European Charlemagne Youth Prize for the United Kingdom. He then took a position as Events Coordinator at Oldham Council where he developed his expertise in event management and was the lead officer responsible for managing a wide range of events on behalf of the authority. Ryan holds a degree in International Relations from the University of Leeds and spent a year studying at Tischner European University in Kraków through participation in the Erasmus programme.
- Karl Steinacker
- Digital Advisor
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Karl Steinacker
Karl joined the Centre in June 2019 after a professional career in institutions of German technical co-operation and as humanitarian manager in the United Nations. He spent years in conflict zones, such as the Gaza Strip, the Great Lakes region in Central Africa, and in the Sahel. He led multi-sectoral teams on data management, refugee registration and biometrics. At the ICS Centre he will work pro bono on issues relating to artificial intelligence, digital transformation, identity and trust as well as their impact on civil society in general and ICSOs in particular. Karl, born in 1960 in Germany, is a graduate of the Political Science faculty of the Free University of Berlin and studied Public International Law at Cambridge University.
