Beate Bergé, Lecturer at Konstanz University of Applied Sciences (HTWG) and at Lake Constance Graduate School (LCGS)
She has been teaching as a Professor of Economics at the Konstanz University of Applied Sciences in the study programs “Asia Studies and Management” and “International Management Asia-Europe” for more than 20 years. With more than 30 years of regional working experience in India through numerous work and research visits to India, she is responsible for the academic exchange between the Konstanz University of Applied Sciences and Indian universities. As initiator of the German-Indian Roundtable Konstanz she has also established a large cross-business network with Indian and German companies. Since 2010, she has taught courses on doing business with India at Lake Constance Graduate School (LCGS).
Alfonso Martinez Cearra, former CEO of Promobisa, the City of Bilbao’s economic development company and Lecturer
Alfonso Martinez Cearra graduated as Industrial Engineer at the Basque Country University. He worked as executive manager in manufacturing companies before being appointed as CEO of Promobisa, the City of Bilbao’s economic development company, in 1989. From 1992 until 2021, when he retired, Alfonso was the Director General of the Association for the Revitalization of Metropolitan Bilbao, a public‐private partnership set up to revitalize the metropolitan area of Bilbao. From 2013 to 2022, he served as Honorary Consul of Sweden in Bilbao.
Jillaine Farrar, Co-Head CAS Leading Global Teams and Projects
Jillaine was born in Vancouver, Canada and moved to Switzerland in 1989. Her family is located in both Switzerland and Canada. She studied at the University of Manchester in GB. In addition to the international experience gained from working in various international companies in Switzerland, running her own education company, and taking continuing-education programs such as the IDI, her international exchange work and lecturing at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts-Business and abroad have provided a solid basis for her work on both the CAS Leading Global Teams and Projects and her SME Internationalization research. Further, Jillaine is vice-president of both SIETAR Switzerland and the ICP European University Network. She not only works in international, she also lives it. Helping others to become more culturally aware is something she is passionate about. She also loves baking, reading, and spending time with her family.
Peter Franklin, Professor at Konstanz University of Applied Sciences (HTWG) and Consultant
Professor Peter Franklin teaches intercultural communication and intercultural management at Hochschule Konstanz University of Applied Sciences, Germany. There he works on the B.A. in Asian Studies and Management China /Southeast Asia and the M.A. in International Management Asia - Europe.
At his university’s Lake Constance Graduate School, he teaches on the M.B.A. in General Management. He has also taught occasionally at other business schools in China, Germany, Switzerland and the U.K.
In addition to his university work, for many years Peter Franklin has coached, trained and addressed hundreds of people working internationally in various parts of the world. He helps organisations and individuals to understand, handle and leverage cultural complexity. His focus is on individuals, teams and organisations handling international contexts, post-merger integration, expatriate assignments, HQ-subsidiary relationships, and international and Anglo-German cooperation.
Peter Franklin was born and brought up on the coast in East Kent, UK, - within sight of France and Belgium. After graduating from Cambridge University, he started his career in Germany, intending to stay for two years but in fact spent the rest of his life there. He now lives on the banks of a lake in south-west Germany - within sight of Switzerland.
Verena Gründler, Director of the International Office at Konstanz University of Applied Sciences (HTWG)
She is responsible for international university cooperation, exchange programmes with the HTWG partner universities as well as the Intercultural Centre. Since 2020, she has also taught leadership competencies in the South Korean context at Lake Constance Graduate School (LCGS). She studied International Cultural and Business Studies in Passau, Madrid, Dalian and Beijing with the languages Chinese and Spanish. In Madrid she studied Romance philology as a scholar under the European Excellence Programme funded by the German Academic Exchange Service at the Universidad Complutense. After graduating from university, she spent more than four years in South Korea working at the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI) and a German technology company. Back in Germany, she dedicated herself to international higher education. She coordinated an international PhD programme in the fields of "Agricultural Economics, Bioeconomy and Rural Development" for postgraduate students from developing countries at the University of Hohenheim and the undergraduate programme "Asian Studies and Management" at the HTWG Konstanz.
Ying Joe, Business Coach, Intercultural Consultant, Speaker and Lecturer
Ying Joe is an expert in navigating between the German and Chinese cultures. Born in China and raised in Germany, she has worked for a global top medtech player in Germany, China and USA. She has a thorough understanding of the challenges in the modern corporate world and shares her cultural knowledge always in the context of doing business. She emphasizes on empathy and dislikes theoretical, abstract discourses. Her students don’t only benefit from her diverse cultural experience, but also from her degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Business Coaching, Design Thinking and Improvisational Theater. They make her lecturing style unique, educational, entertaining and enjoyable.
Today, she works as a business coach and intercultural consultant in helping her clients to realize their full potential and follow their own Hero’s Journey.
Helena Obendiek, Co-director of the China Center at Konstanz University of Applied Sciences (HTWG)
Helena is the co-director of the China Center at the University of Applied Sciences in Konstanz (HTWG Konstanz). She studied modern sinology, political science and sociology and has a doctorate in China-specific social anthropology. She has conducted long-term field research in China's remote western regions. Helena teaches regional studies China and (China-related) intercultural communication at various universities. She has extensive work experience in cooperation with Chinese institutions in the field of higher education and is the co-editor of the volume Handbuch China-Kompetenzen (transcript Verlag, 2022). She has been travelling to China for work, research, or pivate reasons for almost 40 years.
Isabel Pereira Rodrigues, Business Administration Division, Mahidol University International College, Thailand
Isabel Pereira Rodrigues earned her Doctorate degree (PhD) in Economic Analysis in 2007 from the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona (IDEA programme) in Spain. She also holds two Master degrees in Economic Analysis from Nova Business School, Universidade Nova de Lisboa in Portugal, and from Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona. She started her professional career by working in the private sector as a technical analyst for bank insurance, and after completing her PhD, she worked for over 4 years for the United Nations system. Isabel performed the role of policy specialist at the Research Unit of the Human Development Report Office (HDRO) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Statistician for the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). During her collaboration with the UN system, Isabel worked on sustainable and economic development issues in areas that included: climate change, migration, health, inequality and poverty. Since 2014, Isabel has been a lecturer at the Business Administration Division of Mahidol University International College (MUIC) in Thailand. Previously, she was the Program Director of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) at MUIC as well as the Program Director of the Business Economics Major of the Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA) at MUIC. Her research interests focus on sustainable development and market incentives, economics of science, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Isabel is also a research fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies in Management and Economics of the Universidade de Évora in Portugal.
Malinvisa Sakdiyakorn, Business Administration Division, Mahidol University International College
Malinvisa Sakdiyakorn earned her doctoral degree in Development Administration from the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), Bangkok, Thailand, also winning the dissertation award in 2009. She holds both an MSc in International Employment Relations and Human Resource Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), London, UK and an MA in European Studies from Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. In the course of her career, Malinvisa worked with the Ministry of Commerce for 8 years in the area of trade promotion where she was involved in the internationalization of Thai products and services to abroad. Specializing in emerging markets, she played a key role in promoting exports of Thai products and services to South Asia, South East Asia as well as the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Malinvisa joined Mahidol University International College in 2009 as a full-time lecturer in Business Administration. Her areas of expertise is in human resource management, organizational behavior, diversity and inclusion, and leadership. As a practitioner, she is also involved in consultancy projects and corporate training in HROD-related area.
Claus Schreier, Professor at Mahidol University, Bangkok/Thailand
Claus Schreier earned his Doctorate in International Management (Dr. rer. pol.) in 2001 from the European Business School, International University in Germany. In 1997 he graduated with a Master Degree in Economics from the University of Konstanz and in 1999 with a Master Degree in Business Administration from the University of Hagen. After his doctoral studies, he spent 3 years as a Senior Business Consultant for CSC Switzerland and another 3 years as a partner and management consultant for Prime-IT Consulting in Zurich, Switzerland. He is an Assoc. Professor and fulltime faculty member at Mahidol University International College (MUIC) in Bangkok, Thailand and is a lecturer in International and Intercultural Management. Furthermore, he is an adjunct professor at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Business (www.hslu.ch/ibr) in Switzerland. He has lectured at various institutions in Germany, Switzerland, the USA and Thailand. Important steps in his professional career include Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany), Winterthur Life&Pensions, Swiss Life (Switzerland) as well as UNESCAP in Bangkok/Thailand (www.unescap.org). His consulting company “Die Kulturarchitekten” (www.kulturarchitekten.ch) is specialised in international and intercultural issues.
Ingo Stolz, Co-Head CAS Leading Global Teams and Projects
Ingo is passionate about developing international leadership skills in current and future leaders. To do this, he brings his international career to the classroom. He worked abroad for 10+ years, in Belgium, China, France, Russia and the US. While abroad, he led, managed and consulted on international projects in for-profit, non-profit, governmental and non-governmental organizations. Ingo grew up in Germany, but left almost 20 years ago. He has lived in Switzerland since 2011. Since 2014, Ingo has worked for the Hochschule Luzern/Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, as a lecturer and researcher in International Leadership, Head Executive Education IBR, Co-Head Competence Center Corporate Development, Leadership and Perssonel, Head Doctor of Business Administration DBA, Co-Head MAS International Management, Co-Head MAS Business Management, Co-Head CAS Leading Global Teams and Projects, and Deputy Head CAS International Management.
Nuntana Udomkit, Business Administration Division, Mahidol University International College, Thailand
Nuntana has a multi-disciplinary education background. She earned her Ph.D. in Economics and International Development from the University of Bath, U.K.; M.A. in Economy and Society from Lancaster University, U.K.; LL.B. in Laws from Thammasat University, Thailand; B.A. in in Public Administration from Chiang Mai University, Thailand; and a Certificate in Foreign Trade Development from Kobe University, Japan.
Nuntana started her career with the Bank of Thailand in 1995. After the completion of her higher education, she worked for the Ministry of Commerce, the Royal Thai Government in 2002 in the field of international trade promotion and served as an executive assistant to the Minister of Commerce from 2005 to 2008. She joined the Business Administration Division of Mahidol University International College in 2008. Her fields of expertise are international trade, international business management, and social enterprise. Nuntana also works as a legal consultant and a litigator, specialized in arbitration, international trade, contract, insurance, and tax. Her work and her interest to explore the world have engaged her in numerous international assignments across the world.
Nagore Uresandi, Consultant and Lecturer
Nagore Uresandi is Director and Founder of IN2destination research and consultancy firm, expert consultant regarding measurement and planning of sustainable tourism for UN Tourism, UNESCAP, European Commission DG GROW, and DG REGIO, expert consultant for European MED projects, ministries, regional and local governments in Central and South America, Europe, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and North Africa, lecturer at HSLU (Switzerland), at University of Deusto (Spain), and invited lecturer at Goldsmiths University of London (UK). With two decades of experience, she is a visiting professor at several European and South American universities and has numerous publications on tourism measurement and tourism policies.
Christian von Lübke, Professor of Southeast Asian Studies at Konstanz University of Applied Sciences (HTWG)
Christian von Lübke is a political economist with particular interest in economic development, political and social change, governance, and digitalization in Southeast Asia and Japan. Before taking up the professorship of Southeast Asian Studies at HTWG Konstanz in 2018, he was a postdoc fellow at Freiburg University (2011-2017), Stanford University (2008-2011), and Waseda University (2007-2008). Prof von Lübke earned his doctorate at the Australian National University in Canberra and has consulted on various issues of development and governance for international institutions such as World Bank, DFID/IDS, GIZ, Misereor, and Friedrich Ebert Foundation. His latest research focuses on “The politics of East Asian developmentalism” (2023, Practical Action Publishing) and “Southeast Asia – Diversity, Decoloniality and Digital Change" (2023, Metropolis Publishing).
Helmut Weber, Consultant and Lecturer
Helmut was Professor for Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Applied Sciences in Konstanz from 2000 to 2018. Following an apprenticeship in the logistics industry, he completed his master's and PhD degree in development sociology at Bielefeld University. This was followed by several years as a guest lecturer for the German Academic Exchange Service at Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia and, after returning to Germany, the establishment of a tour operator for individual tourism to Southeast Asia. From 1997 until the beginning of his professorship at the HTWG Konstanz, Helmut Weber worked for the German development co-operation as a consultant for the establishment of the Institute of Tourism Management, a university of applied sciences in Ulaanbaatar/Mongolia The focus of his work at the HTWG Konstanz was primarily on the political, religious, cultural, ecological, social and global factors influencing the economic development of the ASEAN- countries as well as analysing the dynamics of regional economic development from the perspective of German enterprises. Helmut Weber is still engaged as a consultant for university development and tourism promotion in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam.
