Leadership and governance
The Berghof Foundation is a Germany-based not-for-profit organisation. The Executive Director heads the staff, and reports to a Board of Trustees. Find more about our leadership and governance below.
Strategic priorities 2022-25
While continuing to work in our three main fields of activity – Practice, Learning and Research – the Berghof Foundation is also responding to a shifting global context.
Our current focal areas:
- Mediation and negotiation support
- Dialogue approaches and facilitation
- Inclusion and participation
- Peace education
Our emerging thematic areas:
- Climate change and conflict transformation
- Engaging with protest movements to strengthen nonviolent strategies
- Inclusive governance and accountability to mitigate corruption and other economic drivers of conflict
- Digital revolution and its impact on our work
- Dealing with the past in conflict transformation
- The role of women and gender in conflict transformation and mediation
Learn more about our current focal and emerging thematic areas for the coming three years.
Board of Trustees
- Johannes Zundel
Chair of the Board of Trustees, Tübingen, Germany - Sandra Breka
Vice President & COO at Open Society Foundations
Member of the Board, International Crisis Group and European Endowment for Democracy, Berlin, Germany - Hilde Frafjord Johnson
Former Norwegian Minister of International Development, Oslo, Norway - Nickolay E. Mladenov
Director General of the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA) - Neha Sanghrajka
Senior Conflict Sensitivity Advisor, UNOPS
Fellow and Senior Advisor at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy - Prof. Dr. Dieter Senghaas
Bremen, Germany - Dr. Christian Sundermann
Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee
State Secretary in non-active service, Berlin, Germany - Dr. Mathias Terheggen
Head Partnerships & Philanthropy, ETH Foundation, Zurich, Switzerland
Advisory Council
- Baroness Valerie Amos
Former UK Secretary of State for International Development; former UN Emergency Relief Coordinator; Master of University College, Oxford - Günther Baechler
Former Head of Swisspeace; former Ambassador of Switzerland - Caspar von Blomberg
Head, Public and Social Sector, Egon Zehnder - Jeff Feltman
Former US Assistant Secretary of State; former UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs - Jürgen Hardt
Member of the German Bundestag - Lamya Kaddor
Member of the German Bundestag - Kyung-wha Kang
Former Foreign Minister of Korea; former UN Under-Secretary-General - Monica McWilliams
Former Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission; author of Stand Up Speak Out - Hannah Neumann
Member of the European Parliament - Aydan Özoğuz
Vice-President of the German Bundestag - Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein
Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; President and CEO of International Peace Institute, New York - Alex Rondos
Former Special Advisor to Prime Minister of Greece; former EU Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa
Executive Team
- Chris Coulter
Acting Executive Director - Beatrix Austin
Head of Department, Conflict Transformation Research
Interim Head of Department, Peace Education - Gustavo Arnaudo
Head of Finance - Natalie Baharav
Head of Communications - Janel Galvanek
Head of Department, Regional Peace Support - Carolin Poeschke
Chief of Staff, Executive Office - Shirin Reuvers
Head of Strategic Partnerships - Oliver Wils
Head of Department, Middle East and North Africa Peace Support
Key documents
- Our Articles of Association (EN) / Unser Gesellschaftsvertrag (DE)
- Berghof Foundation, Strategic Priorities 2022-25
- Latest annual report, including financials and latest auditors' statement
- Code of Conduct
- Privacy policy (for website)
- Impressum (for website)
