Astrid (Kühne) Benker
Co-Founder & Project Director
Experience
Jan 2019 - Dec 2020
2 yearsCo-Founder & Project Director
UTU Food4Good
- Leveraged post-harvest loss to build low-cost, healthy food products addressing nutrition challenges for low-income consumers.
- Secured USD 11 million equity financing through series A and B investment rounds.
- Established governance, HR, finance, and operations structures and policies.
- Expanded team from 2 to 10 full-time staff.
- Managed setup of test kitchen and development of 3 new recipes for East Africa.
Jan 2015 - Present
9 years 6 monthsCo-Founder & Project Manager
Bradora.com
- Developed and marketed a patented beauty bra preventing cleavage wrinkles and relieving back pain.
- Received invitation to “Die Höhle der Löwen” (German Dragons' Den).
- Conducted global market assessment and created marketing material for stakeholders.
- Managed external communication including website setup.
Jan 2014 - Dec 2015
2 yearsCo-Founder
Financial Access Solution
- Developed an innovative, cloud-based financial solution for waste collectors.
- Set up loyalty program increasing plastic waste collections by 35%.
- Conducted extensive research and created an app for bottle collection process optimization.
- Assessed customer journey and mapped key pain points for waste collectors.
Jan 2009 - Present
15 years 6 monthsCo-Founder & Director
School4Life.org
- Co-founded NGO to alleviate poverty and create sustainable livelihoods in rural Kenya.
- Fundraised over USD 2.5 million with 100% of funds reaching the projects.
- Turned mud hut for 200 orphans into permanent schools, greenhouse, and kitchen for 800 orphans and trained staff with fixed monthly overheads.
- Set up schools for disabled children and orphanages for needy children.
- Distributed over 3.5 million free school lunches.
- Managed over 250 international volunteers onsite.
- Organized volunteer team of 25 core members in Europe and Kenya.
Jan 2009 - Jun 2016
6 years 6 monthsConsultant
Accenture Management Consulting
- 6.5 years of experience as Consultant.
- Specialized in Change Management, Business Transformation, Learning and Development, Diversity and Culture Management, and Communication and Conflict Management.
- Worked on complex, international, and multi-cultural projects across industries, business functions, and countries.
Employee Engagement Consultant
Accenture
- Supported campaigns to raise emotional commitment from 8,000 employees and improve branding.
- Initiated and published employee blog gaining top readership across three countries.
- Participated in "Be Yourself - Make a Difference" campaign inspiring team members.
- Published articles encouraging women leadership.
Operating Model Design Consultant
Accenture/Global Beverage Company
- Analyzed as-is/to-be operating model and identified stakeholder challenges.
- Recommended change roadmap reducing business leaders from 32 to 7.
- Developed innovative change management toolbox showcased as best practice.
- Developed communication strategies for all stakeholders, including c-level.
- Designed and moderated workshops and townhalls for 300+ employees.
Conflict Management Facilitator
German NGO
- Conducted trainings on institutional strengthening and board capacity building in rural India.
- Conducted conflict resolution and team-building workshops with donor and beneficiaries.
- Designed and implemented Behavioral Change optimizing vocational centers for sustainability.
- Guest lectured schools on leadership topics.
IT Implementation Consultant
Global Car Manufacturer
- Implemented dealer in-house retail management system to improve effectiveness.
- Developed communication material for external stakeholders.
Change Lead
Global FMCG Company
- Responsible for change and training for pilot region Nordics in SAP S/4 HANA implementation.
- Conducted stakeholder and change impact assessments.
- Developed engagement and communication plans.
- Conducted training needs analysis and developed training plans and materials.
- Revised generic role descriptions.
Cultural Diversity Office Head
Global IT Company
- Re-structured Cultural Diversity Office enhancing cultural change for 8,000+ employees.
- Developed digital one-stop solution for new hires and conducted induction trainings.
- Designed sessions on cultural diversity and awareness.
- Created culture cards for distribution and handbook "Creating Culture Change."
- Organized yearly culture day and informational events.
Project Management Lead
Global Pharma Company
- Led change and communication workstream impacting 3,600+ associates.
- Developed change and communication strategy driving customer-centricity.
- Supported agile framework implementation including Jira setup and agile coaching.
HR Cost Efficiency Consultant
Insurance Company
- Evaluated HR cost structures defining strategic options for business positioning.
- Designed project plan and achieved 20% cost savings in one year.
- Identified operational efficiency potentials, restructuring team of 20 FTEs.
- Defined reporting lines for 50 employees and calculated business case impact.
Stakeholder Mapping Consultant
International NGO
- Developed toolkit supporting in-country innovation in Kenya and Tanzania.
- Prepared stakeholder map and identified potential partners.
- Consulted key stakeholders including Ministries and Prime Minister's Office.
Strategy Consultant
Leading Bank
- Defined rollout strategy for PMO as shared services across 3,600 employees.
- Designed targeted communication strategy and training programs.
- Developed KPIs and conducted interviews measuring employee change readiness.
- Launched internal magazine increasing buy-in from 8% to 72%.
SAP Implementation Consultant
Leading Beverage Company
- Implemented global learning and development strategy for SAP HR go-live support.
- Coordinated training schedule of 100 sessions across 10 global locations for 1,000 staff.
- Designed and moderated SAP training sessions for decision-makers and top management.
- Designed and implemented knowledge academy and learning network for 6,000 end users.
Business Consultant
Logistic Company
- Performed competitive landscape analysis and benchmarking.
- Developed communication and marketing strategy reducing costs by 50%.
- Analyzed governance and ways of working for cost reduction.
Leadership Workshop Facilitator
Microfinance Company
- Moderated and trained leadership workshops on management topics.
- Organized team-building workshops focusing on intercultural team composition for C-level.
Communication Strategy Designer
Tourism Company
- Created online communication and marketing strategy for US travel market.
- Developed expert analysis and quantitative modeling of market size and growth trends.
HR Consultant
Various SMEs in East Africa
- Designed and implemented HR structures and policies for several companies.
- Implemented full talent management cycles including branding and KPIs.
- Set up knowledge academy and talent strategies handed over to local staff.
- Facilitated HR cycle including hiring, engagement, training, monitoring, and handover of tools to directors.
Summary
As an all-rounded Senior Strategy Consultant, certified in Change (Prosci), Project Management (GPM) and Agile (Scrum), I help leaders and organizations to embrace change, creating high performance teams and delivering long-term success. I have worked as a Manager at a top-tier consulting company for FTSE100 multi-nationals on complex, international and multi-cultural projects across various industries, business functions and countries.
Profound expertise in:
- Change Management (Stakeholder Management, Change Impact Analysis, Change Strategies, Change and Communication Plans, Corporate Communications (internal and external), Resistance, Conflict and Crisis Management, Culture Change, Change KPIs)
- Training and Development (Training Needs Analysis and Plans, Train-the-Trainer Concepts, Designing and Delivering Training Programs, Leadership and Team Development, Coaching, Team Building, Performance Development, Moderating Workshops)
- Project Management (Agile Methodologies, Risk and Issue Management, Timeline and Resource Planning, Project Lifecycle Management)
Languages
German
Native
Portuguese
Native
English
Advanced
French
Advanced
Spanish
Advanced
...and 1 more
Education
Leuphana University of Lüneburg
PhD, Intercultural Teams - New Strategies on Effective Global Collaboration · Lüneburg, Germany
University of Hildesheim
International Communication and Translation · Hildesheim, Germany
University of Coventry
International Communication and Translation · Coventry, United Kingdom
Certifications & licenses
Project Manager
International Project Management Association
Problem Solver and Change Manager
GAQM
Professional Scrum Master TM I
Scrum.org
Prosci Change Manager
Prosci
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