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16 December 2020
I want to see an inclusive society in which foundations play a strong role
by Dr. Hanna Stähle and Karalyn Gardner (https://dafne-online.eu/)
In September 2020, Kirsten Hommelhoff, a trained lawyer with over 10 years of management experience at the Mercator Foundation, took over as Secretary General and the first female leader of the Association of German Foundations, one of the oldest and largest philanthropy support organisations in the world. This month, we sat down to get to know her and her personal story. She shared her hopes for the German foundation sector, her thoughts on female leadership and her desire for a European single market for philanthropy.
Today marks almost exactly three months since you started as Secretary General of the Association of German Foundations. Have you faced anything unexpected?
The whole corona situation is unexpected. At least, when I started, thiIn September 2020, Kirsten Hommelhoff, a trained lawyer with over 10 years of management experience at the Mercator Foundation, took over as Secretary General and the first female leader of the Association of German Foundations, one of the oldest and largest philanthropy support organisations in the world. This month, we sat down to get to know her and her personal story. She shared her hopes for the German foundation sector, her thoughts on female leadership and her desire for a European single market for philanthropy.ngs weren’t as challenging as they are now. This gave me the chance to see and speak to my team and some of our members in person. Leadership in corona times is absolutely demanding, especially if you do not yet know your team that well.
At the Dafne CEO retreat, we talked about our personal life stories and values. What shaped you, your values and purpose?
When I think about my life, I often had to adapt to new situations. I have moved very often so I am used to adapting to new people, new cities, new countries, new cultures. This can be challenging although, in the end, it is a very positive learning experience. This has made me a very open-minded person.
Besides, I grew up in a family where discussing politics was part of the daily family life. Every evening, we watched the news together. And, therefore, discussions of political and societal matters belonged to my daily routine. Also, having worked in all three sectors has shaped who I am, which is very helpful for my current work.
How did you come to move around so much?
I moved with my parents. I then studied in different cities, Wurzburg and Munich, and did an Erasmus year in Bologna. My legal education took me to Hamburg, Milan and Seoul and I did a Master’s in European Law in England. Changing cities and places was not always planned “strategically” I took whatever chances I had to see new places and countries.
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