Meet our team

E: vonpeter(at)activephilanthropy.org

Felicitas von Peter founded Active Philanthropy in 2006 as a platform for philanthropists and social investors committed to change the world for the better.

From 1998 to 2006, she worked as a director with the Bertelsmann Foundation, where she ultimately headed the foundation’s national and international donor education programmes. From 2004 to 2006, she co-chaired the international program The Philanthropy Workshop, offered in co-operation with the Rockefeller Foundation.

Felicitas studied at the universities of Heidelberg and Bonn as well as at Sciences Po in Paris. She holds an M. Phil and a Ph. D. in history from the University of Cambridge, UK. From 1997 to 1998, she was a post-doc at the Lisbon University Institute (ISCTE) and, in 2002, a fellow at the Center for the Study of Philanthropy at City University New York. She is a board member of various foundations and NGOs in Germany and the Netherlands and was named a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum in 2010.

E: grossbroehmer(at)activephilanthropy.org

Daniel Großbröhmer leads Active Philanthropy's networks and learning unit and is responsible for various learning and educational projects. His role also extends to developing the climate philanthropy ecosystem by advising and supporting a diverse field of actors and networks.  

Before joining Active in 2021, Daniel worked with one of the largest donor organisations in international development on growing civic engagement and impact management systems. He also founded the Responsible Volunteering Initiative, a watchdog for commercial volunteering programs, and the advocacy organisation “German Solidary Myanmar”.

Daniel holds an MBA in International Management from Berlin School of Economics and Law / Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge and a B. A. in Modern Languages, Culture and Economics from Gießen’s Justus Liebig University. He is a lecturer at the German Academy for Foundations and a Member of the Advisory Committees of the International Philanthropy Commitment on Climate Change and the P150 Network. 

E: hornung(at)activephilanthropy.org

Charlotte oversees our external communications and carries Active Philanthropy's messages out into the world. She develops communications strategies, creates engaging content and marketing strategies, and promotes Active Philanthropy's products and projects through our digital channels, our network and the media.

Charlotte has experience in communicating climate issues to a wide range of audiences. Prior to joining Active Philanthropy, she spearheaded outreach and projects at the think tank Energy Watch Group. Previously, Charlotte served as a public affairs consultant at DWR eco. 

She holds a Master of Public Affairs from Sciences Po Paris, a Master of Public Policy from the Hertie School of Governance Berlin, and a BA in European Studies from Maastricht University, which included a semester abroad in Seoul. Additionally, Charlotte volunteers for the empowerment of girls and women in Mali. 

E: kirsch(at)activephilanthropy.org

Anneke Kirsch is responsible for our Climate + Philanthropy Learning Journey. Anneke is involved from start to finish - from technical set-up to marketing the course, onboarding new participants, facilitating interactive sessions and community management: She ensures that participants have a smooth experience throughout the course and that our alumni community continues to grow.

Anneke earned her M.A. in International Relations from the University of Potsdam, the Free University of Berlin, and the Humboldt University. She also holds a B.A. in Chinese Studies and Social Sciences from the University of Cologne. During her studies, Anneke held various roles as a working student and intern, including at the German Foreign Ministry and the Mercator Institute for China Studies. Besides having lived and studied in China and Sweden, Anneke is fluent in Chinese. 

E: kruse(at)activephilanthropy.org

Susann Kruse supports her colleagues in all kinds of administrative aspects of the company: From travel- and event organization to appointment management, implementation and improvement of systems and tools as well as a variety of other tasks wherever the team needs her support.

Before joining Active in September 2022, she worked for over 12 years in the hotel industry. For the most part, she acted in the field of Revenue Management for a global hotel chain.

Susann completed a hotel apprenticeship in Berlin in 2009. 
 

E: liautaud(at)activephilanthropy.org

Gabriele Liautaud coordinates Active Philanthropy’s grant services. She advises our philanthropic clients and manages their charitable portfolios in close dialogue with them. She is also responsible for our Climate + Philanthropy Learning Journey.

Gabriele brings along more than 15 years of experience in philanthropy. Before she joined Active Philanthropy in 2007, she worked with the Bertelsmann Foundation, where she was project manager for the national as well as the international Donor Education Programmes and coordinated a Germany-wide platform of actors involved in children’s issues. Prior to that, she worked as a project manager for Arvato Bertelsmann.

Gabriele studied business administration at the University of Applied Sciences in Worms and completed an apprenticeship as commercial assistant before entering academia.

E: lundershausen(at)activephilanthropy.org

Johannes provides Active Philanthropy with analyses of climate change issues and philanthropy.

Before joining Active Philanthropy in 2020, he worked with the German Committee Future Earth, a body advising the German Research Council on issues of global sustainability. In addition, Johannes has practical experience of climate change adaptation from working with the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) in India.

Next to degrees in Human Geography and International Politics from University College London and Surrey University, Johannes holds a Ph.D. in Science and Technology Studies from the University of Tübingen for studying how knowledge about the Anthropocene is produced.

E: rocker(at)activephilanthropy.org

Since March 2023, Stefanie Rocker has joined Active Philanthropy as COO. She is responsible for the smooth running of operational processes and, together with the management, for Active Philanthropy’s strategy development and implementation.

Stefanie worked for seven years as a management consultant for the Boston Consulting Group in Berlin and San Francisco, with the focus on transformation & turnaround. At the beginning of 2020, she joined the Berlin based eCommerce company Berlin Brands Group as VP People & Culture.

Stefanie holds an MSc in Finance & Investment from the Rotterdam School of Management and a BA in Communication and Political Science from the Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich. For several years she lived in Mexico and the USA.

E: sparber(at)activephilanthropy.org

Joanna Sparber has joined Active Philanthropy as a Senior Advisor leading the development of a long-term expedition and alumni community strategy, as well as supporting advisory services.

She has spent over 14 years designing and facilitating innovative partnerships, programmes and initiatives and is an expert in social impact strategy, ecosystem building and community development. She is the Founder of Sparber Consulting Ltd. She was previously the Global Director of Impact at The Conduit, where she led their social impact and thought leadership strategies after having built out the community, editorial programme and communication teams. Prior, Joanna was the Deputy Head of the Forum of Young Global Leaders (YGL) at the World Economic Forum as well as the Head of the Foundation Communities for Europe and Eurasia (YGL, Global Shapers Community & Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship).

Joanna holds a BA in Modern History from the University of Nottingham and an MA in Fine and Decorative Arts from the University of Manchester.

E: strunz(at)activephilanthropy.org

Karolin Strunz is the backbone and nerve centre of Active Philanthropy. As operations manager, she administrates everything administrable, from finance via legal and HR to IT. She also provides the logistical support for our expeditions, workshops and events for philanthropists and social investors.

Before deliberately joining Active Philanthropy in May 2018, she worked with an early-stage tech VC. From 2012 to 2014, she managed the office for the then new start-up SumUp after she had spent more than five years in administration and marketing of a large corporation.

Karolin completed an apprenticeship as business administrator in Berlin in 2006.

E: wilss(at)activephilanthropy(dot)org

Louis Wilß is an analyst at Active Philanthropy and dives deep into the ever-evolving landscape of climate and philanthropy. He analyses trends, identifies challenges, and explores emerging issues at the intersection of climate and philanthropy. In addition, Louis supports clients throughout their philanthropic journey, offering guidance and expertise to navigate the complex world of climate funding. 

His journey into philanthropy began at the Robert Bosch Stiftung and the Liaison Office for Foundations & Corporations at the German development agency GIZ. During his studies, Louis conducted research in Central Asia, contributed to projects at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and served as a research assistant for the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF).

Louis holds an M.Sc. in Geographical Development Studies and a B.Sc. in Geographical Sciences from the Freie Universität Berlin.