Our team

Kathrin leads the business development at the Centre, which includes finances and human resources as well as fundraising. She joined the Centre in early 2017 and since then worked in the role of the Flagship Event Project Officer and as Development Manager. Before joining the Centre, Kathrin was a freelance journalist who worked mainly for political talk shows in German media institutions. She has also worked at a foundation in Tanzania as well as in an MP office in the German parliament. Kathrin holds a M.Sc. in International Relations with distinction from the University of Amsterdam with a focus on international political economy, and a B.A. in Political Science from the Free University Berlin.

Rachel leads the Centre’s programmes. She joined the Centre in January 2023, initially leading the Futures and Innovation programme before becoming Director of Programmes. Rachel has more than 15 years of experience working for civil society organisations on a national and international level, working for various ICSOs in international development and human rights in both London and Berlin. Rachel has an interest in digital technology and its impacts on civil society, futures thinking, and finding innovative participatory ways of working for CSOs. Rachel holds an honours degree in Political Science from Newcastle University and an executive post-grad certificate in Digital Governance from the Hertie School of Governance. 

Claudemir, Programme Officer and Executive Assistant at the Centre since December 2023, holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the Federal University of Santa Catarina. He was awarded the DAAD Helmut Schmidt Scholarship in 2020, which led to a Master’s degree in Democratic Governance and Civil Society at the University of Osnabrück. His master’s thesis focused on water policy and the SDGs in Brazil. Before joining the Centre, Claudemir contributed to the education sector in Brazil and worked in international cooperation with the UN and GIZ.

Tanja joined the Centre in September 2023 and is responsible for HR, Operations, Finance, and IT. Tanja has a Master's degree in Social Science and several years of experience as an HR Manager within international startups and nonprofits. They have been living in different countries, including Denmark, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan. Tanja considers themselves an activist and volunteered for several LGBTQ+ organisations.

Peter joined the Centre in January 2013, back then as a trainee. Over the years he took different roles as event and project manager, contributing to diverse strategic Centre formats. In 2017, he devised and established the Leave No One Behind partnership, acting as its global lead ever since. In this role, he also became a co-founder of the UN-anchored Collaborative on Citizen Data. Before joining the Centre, Peter worked for different organisations in the development sector. He studied at the University of Bonn and graduated with an MA in Political Science, focussing on climate policy networks. Contact Peter

Myriam is a Programme Manager, coordinating the “Futures of (I)CSOs” programme, which, through three operational workstreams, supports international civil society organisations in building strategic capacity through foresight and futures thinking tools. Previously, she led the “Accelerating Inclusive Power Shift” project at the Centre, which aimed to foster more equitable governance models and partnerships in the development and humanitarian sectors. Prior to joining the Centre, she worked on EU development policy in Brussels for CONCORD and Humanity & Inclusion and with CBM in Italy. Myriam holds a Master of Arts in Political Science from the Catholic University of Milan and a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistic & Intercultural Mediation from the University of Milan.

Since February 2020, Eva has led the Centre’s work on civic space, in particular the Solidarity Action Network (SANE), which strengthens resilience and fosters solidarity among civil society actors facing civic space restrictions. She also oversees the Anticipating Futures for Civil Society Operating Space initiative, which enhances the anticipatory capacities and future readiness of civil society professionals. Eva has more than 10 years of experience across academia, philanthropy, and civil society. Prior to joining the Centre, she worked at the Robert Bosch Stiftung (Foundation), managing projects to strengthen civil society and governance in Turkey, the Western Balkans, and North Africa. She holds a degree from the German-Turkish Masters Program in Social Sciences (GeT MA), jointly run by the Middle East Technical University in Ankara and Humboldt University in Berlin.

Chandani joined the Centre in May 2022 as a Project Manager. She coordinates the Leave No One Behind (LNOB) partnership and its Making Voices Heard and Count (MVHC) project. Before joining the Centre, she worked for the World Wildlife Fund Nepal, Japan Asian Friendship Society (JAFS), and contributed to development programmes funded by USAID and the European Union. She also brings experience from the communications sector, having served as Content Marketing Manager at TolaData, where she supported organisations in leveraging digital tools to enhance their impact. She holds a Master’s degree in International Development and Social Change from Clark University and a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and Advertising from Minnesota State University.

Liz has worked for the Centre since 2023. She has over fifteen years of experience in visual communications and storytelling, and has spent the last eight years focusing on social impact projects and communicating with purpose. She has an MSc in Creative Commercial Communications from TU Dublin. Contact Liz

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 works 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.