ada is the place for collaborative learning
and personal growth

Miriam Meckel is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ada. Since 2005 Miraiam has held a professorship in communication management at the University of St. Gallen, and was editor in chief and publisher of WirtschaftsWoche. She served one legislative period as government spokesperson and State Secretary for Media and International Affairs under the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, and she also worked as a consultant for the Brunswick Group for many years. During her time as a journalist and scientist she received the Cicero Speakers Prize in the science category, published numerous books, and was accepted engagements as a guest professor at Harvard University, Singapore Management University and the University of Vienna.

Léa Steinacker is founder and Chief Innovation Officer of ada. Prior to 2018 she worked for Wirtschaftswoche, most recently as Chief Innovation Officer. In 2018 the american magazine Forbes named her one of the “Top 30 Under 30” managers in Europe’s media landscape, the same year she was one of the “Top 30 Under 30” journalists named by Medium Magazin. Raised in Germany, Australia and Wales, she studied at Princeton, Harvard and the American University in Cairo before writing her doctor’s thesis on the social impact of artificial intelligence systems at the University of St. Gallen.

Verena has been working in the field of digital education in Germany for about 10 years. That's why she co-founded ada Learning GmbH in 2020. Before, she founded the company Fox & Sheep in 2012 and established it as one of the largest developers of children's apps in Germany. In 2016, she also founded HABA Digitalwerkstatt and was managing director of both companies until 2019. With her non-profit organization "Digitale Bildung für alle e.V." (Digital Education for All), she is dedicated to providing children with equal-opportunity access to digital education. In 2018, she was featured in Forbes Europe's Top 50 Women In Tech list. Her bestselling book "Das Neue Land" was published in September 2020.

Christian Klapka is Chief Operations Officer of ada. For more than 20 years Christian is part of the constantly changing digital industry. In different expert and management roles he was driving strategies, products and cooperations to ensure commercial success and customer satisfaction in a highly competitive market environment.
His passion is the creation of innovations across industries and between corporates and start ups.
He studied Business Administration at the Heinrich-Heine-University of Düsseldorf, and refined his skills at the EBS Business school in Oestrich-Winkel.

Betül has been on board as an Executive Assistant at ada since 2022. She is the "right hand" of Léa and Miriam. As an assistant, she supports the two managing directors in the best possible way to make their daily work easier. After her studies in economics, she worked as an assistant in the event sector at Messe Berlin and at the Production Resource Group and also in the social sector as a job coach and job mediator for refugees. She completed her business studies in Berlin and Istanbul. Due to her Turkish roots, Betül grew up bilingual - German and Turkish. 

Judith is responsible for all People & Culture topics at ada. In her 20-year HR career, she has gained extensive professional and leadership experience in a wide range of topics in various industries. In addition to her degree in business administration from the WFI and several semesters of part-time psychology at the Open Universiteit Nederland, she is also certified as a "Systemic Coach" by the INEKO Institute of the University of Cologne. She is passionate about education and personal development. Her professional interest lies especially in new-work methods and projects around transformation topics.

Eva is Director Business & Partner Relations at ada and main contact for our partner organizations. Eva is an expert in transformation and change management, combining strategy with pragmatic implementation. She brings more than 15 years of leadership and industry experience. In her last job as Vice President Digital Transformation, she was responsible for the organizational development of a new digital unit of an M-Dax company as well as for the global change management for the topic of digital transformation. In all of this, Eva shares our understanding that real change can only happen through the people themselves. This requires activation and empowerment, but above all trust, empathy, and a healthy dose of intuition.

As a UX Designer and Product Owner Anna’s focus is on our digital products. Her priority is to create a flawless user journey for our users. In the past years she conceived various mobile applications and contributed to UX optimizations of an open source LMS. She attended and advanced the digitization change process of teaching and learning of the skilled crafts in Germany.

Ben is a working student at ada and has been part of the team since September 2021. He is part of the business team and assists in the communication process with partner organisations as well as the future development of ada. Previously, he studied International Business in Maastricht. During his Bachelor, he focused particularly on organisational structures and their changes. The internship at ada offers him the opportunity to apply his theoretical knowledge and further define his professional future.

Lucas is Business Development Manager. He develops the strategic and operational orientation of economic business activities at ada. After studying information-oriented business administration, he completed a trainee program in operations management at a service provider. He is particularly fascinated by the rapid change of economic trends through digitalization.

Therese is Project Lead and right hand of the management since September 2021 and takes care of all strategic initiatives of ada. Previously, she worked for several years at the digital consultancy Axel Springer hy in Berlin, helping clients from SMEs and DAX-30 companies to validate and implement business ideas. Most recently, she was interim manager of a venture in the field of "digital construction and Building Information Modeling". Prior to that, she was a management trainee at Axel Springer and held positions in the digital news brands, among others. Therese studied business administration and development economics in Göttingen, Copenhagen and Tel Aviv. 

Ann-Kristin joined ada in 2020 as a Learning Designer. She manages the digital learning platform and its content, enabling the Fellows to learn whenever and wherever they want, and is also responsible for the ongoing development of digital learning formats. Before coming to ada she was a media developer at FOM University. She also spent a year as an instructor at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta after completing her studies of applied literature and cultural sciences in Dortmund.

Claudia joined ada in 2020 as 2020 Community Manager. She is responsible for communication with the ada community and supports the Fellows throughout their individual journeys, helping them achieve the best possible learning results for their own development and that of their company. Before coming to ada, Claudia was a senior project manager at the Handelsblatt Media Group for four years, where she was responsible for creating and implementing editorial events for the Handelsblatt Business Club and supported cooperation partners as a key account manager.

Hannah is a Community Program Manager at ada and joined the team in September 2021. She is responsible for the innovation project in the fellowship and coaches the community regarding knowledge transfer. Prior to ada, Hannah was a project manager for customer experience management at Marsh Digital Europe, designing and developing platforms with her team. Hannah studied Communication and Multimedia Design and Management at the technical university of applied sciences in Aachen, Maastricht and Cologne.

Kimo Quaintance is ada’s Director of Learning & Community. He first worked with ada as an external consultant in 2019, and joined the team full-time in 2021. He has spent the past 10 years consulting on collective learning and technological change to clients such as Facebook, Microsoft, General Motors, Lufthansa, Siemens, the United States Army, and the Royal Opera House in London. He holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, has developed curriculum and lectured at the University of Denver, the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the University of the German Federal Armed Forces in Munich (Universität der Bundeswehr München), and the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.

Lucy is a working student at ada and joined the team in June 2021. She studies business administration for her bachelor’s degree at the Heinrich-Heine University in Düsseldorf and works as a support in the Learning and Community Circle. Prior to joining ada, Lucy took part in the educational coding program by TechLabs and is now involved in creating great Live Sessions and managing the ada community.

Christina is ada’ Head of Live Experience and has been on the team since 2019. She is responsible for creating inspiring experiences at our events. She provides platforms for thought leaders and spaces for interaction, exchange and new perspectives. Previously, she was a project manager at Handelsblatt Media Group, where she developed and managed events. Christina studied media, sports and event management as well as business administration.

Lina is Live Experience and Community Support at ada since July 2021. She turns our events into an unforgettable experience and also deals with the encounters of the ada community. Previously, Lina completed her training as an event managing assistant at Euroforum Deutschland GmbH. Lina also studied English and American Studies as well as German Studies at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf.

Paula is Junior Event Manager at ada since June 2022 and helps to make our events special and unforgettable. Before her time at ada, Paula was already able to gain some experience in the implementation of the sports event called Ruhr Games. As part of her Master's degree in Sports Science - Organizational Development and Management in Bielefeld, Paula focused on the potential of NFTs and fan tokens in fan engagement, resulting in her affinity for future-relevant topics and digital development trends.

Carmen is a learning designer at ada since August 2021 and responsible for maintaining the learning platform, coordinating the production of new learning content, and improving the learning formats. Previously, Carmen discovered her professional passion for learning while working at the medical device manufacturer MED-EL and has been involved in several e-learning projects since. She studied English and American Studies at the University of Innsbruck and the National University of Singapore and is studying intercultural business psychology part-time at the University of Applied Sciences Hamm-Lippstadt.

Céline is Junior Learning Designer at ada and started as a working student in the Learning & Development Team in May 2022. She’s an integral part of numerous projects, including ada’s learning platform, newsletter and social media presence. During her bachelor’s degree in Media and Communication Management her interest in the effects of digital media on our social interaction and well-being flourished. In addition to being a trained digital well-being coach and yoga instructor, she regularly conducts media workshops for children and teens. Céline is also currently pursuing her Masters in media education.

Finn joined ada in 2021 as an intern and creates editorial content for the digital magazine, the newsletter and the Fellowship. He also manages ada’s social media channels. While studying media and cultural sciences in Düsseldorf and Paris, he became increasingly involved with the new narrative forms of digital media. Aside from his studies, he also gained experience helping to organize the film festival in Düsseldorf and working in the online editorial department of the TV show Neo Magazin Royale. He is particularly interested in the cultural implications of the digital transformation.

As ada’s Science Editor, Lea combines creative writing with science and tech  communication. She creates learning content for the fellowship, is jointly responsible for the weekly newsletter, and supports the team with her technical knowledge and teaching experience. Before joining ada in October 2022, she taught courses on technology and society at Maastricht University, developed teaching materials for Maastricht‘s Digital Society program and researched the history of technology. Lea studied Creative Writing in Hildesheim and Cultures of Arts, Science and Technology in Maastricht, and was a visiting student at the Universities of Leicester and Cambridge.

Marina Löwe is ada´s Director of Learning & Development. She joins us in our belief that growth rarely happens alone, and shares our passion to inspire the connections that will drive future change. Marina is an experienced change expert with a proven track record in creating personal and business transformations. She accompanies executives and teams in the development of mindful digital high-performance cultures for sustainable business. Marina has been working as an internal and external consultant, facilitator and trainer in international companies ranging from DAX corporations to startups since 2002. She is an industrial and organizational psychologist, multi-certified trainer, mediator, Co-active and Berkeley Executive Coach.

Milena is ada’s Lead Editor and has been on the team since the founding in 2018. She runs the writing department and develops content for ada’s digital magazine, podcast and newsletter. She was previously a reporter for ada and for the “Innovation and Digital” department of the magazine WirtschaftsWoche. She received her journalism training at the Georg von Holtzbrinck School for Economic Journalism and has contributed to Handelsblatt, WirtschaftsWoche and DIE ZEIT, among others. Milena studied political and communication science in Mainz, Düsseldorf and Davis, California. She is particularly interested in topics involving the interface between society and technology. 

Nadya is passionate about using technology as a powerful tool for creating educational content. At ada, she's part of the team responsible for the learning platform, i.e., creating content that fits ada's vision for the future. With years of experience in R&D in the pharmaceutical industry and as a teacher, Nadya brings an analytical perspective to the ada team. Previously, she developed project-oriented curricula for laboratory personnel at Roche Pharma and helped researchers at the University Clinic, Heidelberg present their findings for publication in high impact scientific journals. She studied Technical Documentation at the University of Applied Sciences, Karlsruhe and holds a Masters degree in Bio-organic Chemistry from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica.

Tatjana is Creative Lead and joined ada in March 2021. She is particularly concerned with the creative voice of ada and topics like storytelling and art related to emerging technologies. Previously, she worked for Urbane Künste Ruhr and the Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus. While studying Cultural Studies and Creative Writing in Hildesheim, she was part of the leadership team of the PROSANOVA festival and co-editor of the magazine BELLA triste.

Clarissa is Senior Marketing Manager and is building up the Marketing & PR department at ada. With her team, she strategically plans and shapes ada's public presence across all touchpoints and is always exploring innovative ways to connect the brand with its target audience. She is inspired by the team's passion and has chosen to work at ada because she directly knew she could create an impact there.
Prior to that, she worked as a brand strategist at Atelier Markgraph and as Head of Marketing & Communications at the Wiesbaden Biennale, among others. She also advises companies and institutions on diversity-sensitive communication.
 

Elisa is Junior Marketing Manager at ada. She shares our vision of a sustainable, digital future and the mission to create and embrace change. As a psychologist, she designs marketing and communication activities always with an eye on human behavior and experience, as well as current trends. During her studies, she worked in marketing at the consulting firm SLBB. Most recently, she worked in Lisbon in Employer Branding at Emma, one of Europe's fastest growing innovation companies. She also promotes feminist issues and is an active member of the initiative Catcalls of Düsseldorf.

Bernhard is our Director of Product & Tech at ada and has joined the team in May 2022. Previously he worked in publishing, e-commerce and is trained as a teacher. At ada Bernhard is making sure we provide the best experience possible for our fellows. In his spare time his interests revolve around pop culture, design and theories about the present and future of our working world.

Shkodran is our Senior Product Designer and joined ada in June 2022. He is responsible for creating immersive experiences and maintaining the Design System, with a focus on user-centric design and accessibility. With around 10 years of expertise working on different websites and mobile apps. Previously, he collaborated with FC Barcelona Academy ‘La Masia’ to enable coaches to create animated soccer exercises from their iPads. He created a premium social media platform with Mika Hakkinen (2 times F1 Champion). Led a national career guidance project for his country called Busulla. Designed and led a product for a US print-on-demand company, and other consultant product design work throughout his career.

Tobias is Director of Technology at ada. He started developing the ada platform in 2018 and joined the team full time in 2021. With over 16 years of experience in software development, Tobias has built numerous large web platforms. As Head of Service Development at ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE, Tobias built up a team of more than 20 developers and has held leading development positions ever since.