Benjamin Stappenbeck heads Communications at the Hertie School

Berlin, 11 January 2022 – The Hertie School welcomed Benjamin Stappenbeck as its new Director of Communications on 4 January 2022. Stappenbeck is responsible for public outreach and communications at the Hertie School.  He reports to Acting President Mark Hallerberg. 

Stappenbeck brings a decade of communications experience to the role. He previously served for many years as spokesperson for Bertelsmann Foundation and its Chairman Aart De Geus. At the Stiftung he oversaw media outreach and strategy for projects such as the SDG-Report, a worldwide report on the Sustainable Development Goals edited together with Jeffrey Sachs and implemented media strategies and concepts for high-profile events and projects together with the German Federal Foreign Ministry, or the EU Commission. He joins the university from the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection where he communicated for the Corporate Digital Responsibility initiative and coordinated social media channels and communication for State Secretary Prof. Christian Kastrop. His work has been awarded, among others, with the German “Politikaward” and the “ADC-Award Germany”.

Prof. Mark Hallerberg, Acting President of the Hertie School: "We are delighted to welcome Benjamin Stappenbeck as the new Director of Communications at the Hertie School. We are certain that the entire Hertie School community will benefit from his professional experience. Especially at a time when disinformation influences public discourse, good communication is essential to helping us support policymaking and democratic processes with evidence-based research and expertise."

Benjamin Stappenbeck, Director of Communications at the Hertie School: "I am very honoured to join The Hertie School with its excellent reputation in academia and politics both in Germany and internationally. I'm especially looking forward to working with the communications team to bring scientific facts and figures to life and reach people also outside the lecture hall."

The Hertie School in Berlin prepares exceptional students for leadership positions in government, business, and civil society. The school offers master’s programmes, executive education and doctoral programmes, distinguished by interdisciplinary and practice-oriented teaching, as well as outstanding research. Its extensive international network positions it as an ambassador of good governance, characterised by public debate and engagement. The school was founded in 2004 by the Hertie Foundation, which remains its major funder. The Hertie School is accredited by the state and the German Science Council. www.hertie-school.org

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Press contact
Alina Zurmühlen, Associate Press and Public Relations, Hertie School
+49 (0) 30 259 219 – 246
+49 (0) 160 911 669 83
pressoffice@hertie-school.org